Mindfulness- and self-compassion-based intervention for educators: Effects of a school-based cluster randomised controlled study

Objectives: The present study investigates the effectiveness of an 8-week mindfulness-based intervention designed to improve educator wellbeing and implemented concurrently in multiple school sites.

Methods: Using a cluster (school) randomised controlled design, 185 educators working in 20 Australian schools were randomised to an intervention group (10 schools, number =85, Mean age = 42.34 years) or a control group (10 schools, number =100, Mean age = 43.7 years). Multiple regression analysis was performed to examine effects of intervention on wellbeing and teaching-related outcomes and students’ sense of connectedness to teachers measured post intervention after controlling for the baseline.

Results: The intervention predicted lower levels of perceived stress (β= -0.196, p < 0.01, 95% CI [-4.00, -0.92]) and sleep difficulty (β= -0.175, p < 0.05, 95% CI [-7.54, -0.46]), and higher levels of mindfulness (β= 0.252, p <0.001, 95% CI [2.60, 6.12]), self-compassion (β= 0.207, p <0.001, 95% CI [0.14, 0.43]) and cognitive reappraisal in emotion regulation (β= 0.152, p < 0.05, 95% CI [0.19, 4.03]) at immediate post-intervention, with medium to large effect size, after controlling for effects of corresponding variables at baseline. These effects largely remained significant at six-week post-intervention. Improved educator wellbeing did not accompany improvements in teaching but students’ sense of connectedness to teachers.

Conclusions: The findings suggest that mindfulness-based interventions may contribute to the overall educator wellbeing and this may increase students’ sense of connectedness to teachers without themselves undergoing any intervention.