Abstract
Mindfulness training (MT) is considered appropriate for school teachers and enhances well-being. Most research has investigated the efficacy of instructor-led MT. However, little is known about the benefits of using self-taught formats, nor what the key mechanisms of change are that contribute to enhanced teacher well-being. This study compared instructor-led and self-taught MT based on a book (Williams & Penman, 2011) in a sample of secondary school teachers. We assessed expectancy, the degree to which participants believed the intervention was effective, their program engagement, well-being and psychological distress, and evaluated whether mindfulness and self-compassion skills acted as mediators of outcomes. In total, 206 teachers from 43 schools were randomized by school to an instructor-led or self-taught course—77% female, mean age 39 years (SD = 9.0). Both MT formats showed similar rates of participant expectancy and engagement, but the instructor-led arm was perceived as more credible. Using linear mixed-effects models, we found the self-taught arm showed significant pre-post improvements in self-compassion and well-being, while the instructor-led arm showed such improvements in mindfulness, self-compassion, well-being, perceived stress, anxiety, depression, and burnout. Changes over time significantly differed between the groups in all these outcomes, favoring the instructor-led arm. The instructor-led arm, compared with the self-taught, indirectly improved teacher outcomes by enhancing mindfulness and self-compassion as mediating factors. Mindfulness practice frequency had indirect effects on teacher outcomes through mindfulness in both self-taught and instructor-led arms. Our results suggest both formats are considered reasonable, but the instructor-led is more effective than the self-taught. Trial registration: ISRCTN18013311.
Highlights
Results at the teacher level are adjusted for the clustering of observations and are highlighted because they are the object of interest in the present study
We further explored the possible mechanisms of change involved
Our results suggested that the instructor-led format produced greater improvements in mindfulness, self-compassion, well-being, stress, anxiety, and depression than the self-taught format
Summary
The first aim of this study was to explore possible differences in the levels of acceptability and engagement with the program of two MT delivery formats of the popular mainstream manual, M-FP (Williams & Penman, 2011), as well as their effectiveness on the well-being and mental health of secondary school teachers. The primary aim of this study was to examine the cost-effectiveness and scalability of different models of teacher training
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