Mindfulness Training for Staff (MTS)
Condition: Stress
Study type: Interventional
Phase: Early Phase 1

Summary: 
      The purpose of this study is to investigate whether a mindfulness based 8-week course for
      stress reduction, known as MBSR course, given to all staff at an inpatient psychiatric ward
      influences the level of stress and burnout and the psychosocial atmosphere at the ward.

      The design is an intervention trial with repeated measures and control group.The focus is the
      interaction between unit and individuals.

      All staff at both wards were invited to participate. The intervention consists of 8 weekly
      group meetings where the participants learn different ways of practicing mindfulness and do
      home practice between the meetings. The control intervention is 8 weekly workshops in
      affect-consciousness.

      Data are collected through self-reporting questionnaires on mindfulness, work- and
      health-related topics at six different points. The patients at both wards answers one
      questionnaire about ward atmosphere at the same points.

      Data wil be analyzed on SPSS statistic programme.
    

Detailed description: 
      MBSR for staff in inpatient psychiatric units

      The challenges for staff working at an inpatient unit for psychotic people are many, and
      still more where the patients also have addiction problems. The patients are seriously ill
      and in need of extensive support and treatment. It is needed for the staff to be continuously
      aware and present, stand all kind of situations and hold out (contain) a lot of critique and
      threatening from the patients. Often they are too exhausted to take care of themselves and
      their own stress. The risk for burnout is high. The purpose of this study is to investigate
      whether a mindfulness based 8-week course for stress reduction, known as MBSR course, given
      to all staff at an inpatient psychiatric ward influences the psychosocial atmosphere at the
      ward.

      The design of the study is an intervention trial with repeated measures and control group.
      The intervention consists of 8 weekly group meetings where the participants learn different
      ways of practicing mindfulness; sitting, walking, yoga exercises,and body scan.They are asked
      to practice between the group-meetings and get a workbook and cds as support.

      This is a prospective intervention study with control group and repeated measures over one
      year follow up. The focus is the interaction between unit and individuals.

      To more closely study the specific effect of mindfulness practice the control group receive
      an active intervention which has similarities to mindfulness practice: workshops in affect -
      consciousness of same amount as the MBSR-course.

      All staff at the research unit and the control unit were invited to participate, each group
      has a number of 25 - 30 individuals. Data are collected through self-reporting questionnaires
      at six different points. The patients answers one questionnaire at the same points.

      The inventories chosen are:

      Demographics Quality of life Subjective health complains Five Facets Mindfulness Questioner
      (Baer) Maslach Burnout Inventory Work satisfaction Total Work load - short form
      Ward-atmosphere scale (also for the patients) Sick leave and number of registered harm
      /injury- episodes will be taken on 3 -4 points.

      Hopefully this study will show that when the staff practice mindfulness this will bring about
      a more relaxed and accepting atmosphere followed by lesser exhaustion and anxiety.
      Consequences should be that mindfulness practise becomes more ordinary in psychiatric
      hospital wards.
    

Intervention name(s): Mindfulness training
Intervention type(s): Behavioral
Intervention description(s): A course in mindfulness based stress reduction with 8 weekly group meetings and home practice between the meetings. Each meetings last for 90 minutes. Participants get workbook and cds to support home practice.
Other intervention name(s): MBSR
Allocation: Non-Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Health Services Research
Keywords: Mindfulness; Stress; Burnout; Ward atmosphere; Stress and burnout among staff, psychosocial atmosphere at the ward