Abstract
ObjectivesSchools are experiencing an unprecedented mental health crisis, with teachers reporting high levels of stress and burnout, which has adverse consequences to their mental and physical health. Addressing mental and physical health problems and promoting wellbeing in educational settings is thus a global priority. This study investigated the feasibility and effectiveness of an 8-week Compassionate Mind Training program for Teachers (CMT-T) on indicators of psychological and physiological wellbeing.MethodsA pragmatic randomized controlled study with a stepped-wedge design was conducted in a sample of 155 public school teachers, who were randomized to CMT-T (n = 80) or a waitlist control group (WLC; n = 75). Participants completed self-report measures of psychological distress, burnout, overall and professional wellbeing, compassion and self-criticism at baseline, post-intervention, and 3-months follow-up. In a sub-sample (CMT-T, n = 51; WLC n = 36) resting heart-rate variability (HRV) was measured at baseline and post-intervention.ResultsCMT-T was feasible and effective. Compared to the WLC, the CMT-T group showed improvements in self-compassion, compassion to others, positive affect, and HRV as well as reductions in fears of compassion, anxiety and depression. WLC participants who received CMT-T revealed additional improvements in compassion for others and from others, and satisfaction with professional life, along with decreases in burnout and stress. Teachers scoring higher in self-criticism at baseline revealed greater improvements post CMT-T. At 3-month follow-up improvements were retained.ConclusionsCMT-T shows promise as a compassion-focused intervention for enhancing compassion, wellbeing and reducing psychophysiological distress in teachers, contributing to nurturing compassionate, prosocial and resilient educational environments. Given its favourable and sustainable effects on wellbeing and psychophysiological distress, and low cost to deliver, broader implementation and dissemination of CMT-T is encouraged.
Highlights
The promotion of mental wellbeing constitutes a public health priority, with mental health difficulties being leading causes of disability and representing a long-lasting and major economic, social and health burden [1]
A pragmatic randomized controlled study with a stepped-wedge design was conducted in a sample of 155 public school teachers, who were randomized to Compassionate Mind Training program for Teachers (CMT-T) (n = 80) or a waitlist control group (WLC; n = 75)
The present study aimed to explore the impact of the CMT-T on heart rate variability (HRV), an indicator of vagal regulatory activity and a physiological marker of a person’s ability to flexibly respond to environmental challenges and regulate emotional responses [56, 75], which has been proposed as a primary measure to assess and train compassion [56]
Summary
The promotion of mental wellbeing constitutes a public health priority, with mental health difficulties being leading causes of disability and representing a long-lasting and major economic, social and health burden [1]. Facing the multiple challenges of working in schools (e.g., excessive workload, time pressures, bureaucracy, pupil disruptive behaviours), teachers report high levels of stress and burnout within all education sectors and across countries [4]. In Portugal, the latest education sector research revealed that 75% of teachers present high levels of burnout, with 25% reporting extreme burnout and 84% intending to leave the profession due to stress and competitive pressures [5]. Along with this retention crisis in the teaching profession, long-term teacher stress is associated with a range of poor wellbeing and professional outcomes, which carry significant socioeconomic costs. The prolonged activation of stress-responsive physiological systems (e.g., hypothalamic-pituitaryadrenal axis; sympathetic nervous system) impairs psychological wellbeing [14] and negatively affects neuroendocrine (e.g., cortisol), autonomic (e.g., heart rate variability, HRV) and immune-inflammatory responses [14, 15], with long-lasting changes in stressrelated gene expression [16, 17], which have a detrimental impact on mental and physical health
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