Two Recovery Strategies at Work, Based on Mindfulness and Physical Exercise, on Levels of Job Stress
Condition: Mental Health Wellness
MeSH terms: Occupational Stress
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      The present study aims to compare the differential effects of a mindfulness-based
      intervention (MBI) and physical exercise (PE) on different stress and health variables by
      self-reports. A randomized controlled trial of three groups is proposed, with pretest,
      posttest and four follow-ups at 1, 2, 3 and 6 months that would be developed among the
      employees of two large multinationals.
    

Detailed description: 
      Work and workplace related problems are common sources of stress. Work-related stress is
      associated with a decrease in productivity, greater absenteeism, accidents and injuries,
      mental illness, greater errors, and poor performance, among others, which involve significant
      financial costs. Therefore, it is crucial to find coping strategies that are effective in
      reducing such stress. Probably, the most appropriate strategies, for their real possibilities
      of implementation, for their easy execution, low cost and for the empirical support they
      have, are mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) and physical exercise (PE). Both types of
      practices have shown beneficial effects for physical health, mental health and psychological
      well-being in general. Different investigations have compared the implementation of MBI and
      PE, both combined and separately, with interesting results.

      The main objective is to evaluate the interactive effects of group x time, the intragroup
      changes and the differences between groups, in the different moments (pretest, posttest, 1,
      2, 3 and 6-months follow-up) on general health, stress, affective job satisfaction, recovery,
      work performance, and positive and negative affect in the three groups considered; an MBI, an
      aerobic PE program and an inactive control / waiting list (LE) condition will be contrasted.

      The secondary objective is to evaluate the trend and linear patterns in the change trajectory
      in the three groups during the eight weeks of intervention on fatigue, psychological
      distancing, sleep, work stress, and attention.

      A randomized controlled trial of three groups is proposed, with pretest, posttest and four
      follow-ups at 1, 2, 3 and 6 months that would be developed among the employees of two large
      multinationals (N ≥ 150).

      The primary dependent variables considered are: 1) recovery experiences; 2) perceived stress;
      3) general health; 4) affective job satisfaction; 5) individual work performance; and 6)
      positive and negative affects. The secondary dependent variables considered are daily states
      of: 1) fatigue, 2) psychological distancing, 3) quality of sleep; 4) work stress; and 5)
      attention.

      Sociodemographic data will be collected at baseline (age, gender, level of education, number
      of economically dependent persons, type of contract, type of working day (split/continuous),
      workstation type, seniority in the organization, seniority in current position and
      teleworking modality).

      The investigators identified two candidate covariates: 1) pharmacological treatment that can
      influence the psychological state (measured with two alternatives, use / non-use of
      anxiolytics, hypnotics and other psychotropic drugs); 2) Baseline state of stress and work
      stress (measured using a single item scale, Likert scale from 1 to 5, 1 being very low and 5
      very high)

      The intervention program is structured for 8 weeks, during which the two intervention groups
      will carry out their recovery strategy (IBM or EF), starting and increasing the practice 5
      minutes every two weeks (weeks 1 and 2, 15 minutes; weeks 3 and 4, 20 minutes; weeks 5 and 6,
      25; weeks 7 and 8, 30 minutes). The control group will continue as usual. Record will be
      taken of recovery strategies that workers perform naturally and spontaneously, and will be
      compared to strategies guided by interventions, as those the investigators propose.

      The investigators believe that this study is a quasi-pioneering initiative because of its
      theme, uses a robust methodology, and will have an important scientific-technical impact. The
      importance of the topic addressed in terms of health and business productivity is associated
      with important contributions in terms of knowledge transfer to companies and society in
      general.
    

Intervention name(s): Mindfulness-based intervention; Physical exercise
Intervention type(s): Behavioral; Behavioral
Intervention description(s): An instructor trained in Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR; Kabat-Zinn, 1990) will conduct meditations lasting 15 to 30 minutes. The participants will have a mobile application designed ad hoc with the practice of the week so they can do it individually at home.; An aerobic and fitness trainer will conduct aerobic exercise lasting 15 to 30 minutes. The participants will watch it in a video platform. They will not be able to do anaerobic exercise like weight lifting. The intensity of the chosen exercise will be moderate, maintaining between 120-140 beats per minute.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Factorial Assignment
Intervention model description: A randomized controlled trial of three groups is proposed, with pretest, posttest and four follow-ups at 1, 2, 3 and 6 months.
Masking: Double (Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: mindfulness; physical exercise; meditation; mental health; stress; recovery; positive and negative affect; work performance; affective job satisfaction