Effects of Mindfulness Practice on Healthcare Workers

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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This study aims to examine the effects of mindfulness practice administered using a mobile app on psychological health among health care workers in Singapore.

Detailed Description
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Research has shown that health workers are particularly at risk of experiencing heightened risks of burnout and psychological symptoms when dealing with a health pandemic, including the current COVID-19 pandemic (Lai et al., 2020; Tan et al., 2020; Wu et al., 2009). The increased risk reflects an urgent need to develop feasible psychological interventions to mitigate burnout and psychological symptoms among health workers. The present study aims to examine the effects of a brief mindfulness intervention delivered using a mobile application (HeadSpace) on psychological functioning in the context of coping with the COVID-19 pandemic in a sample of health workers in Singapore. A total of 80 health workers will be recruited and randomly assigned to using a mindfulness practice app or a cognitive games app daily over a period of 21 days. They will be assessed at baseline, post-intervention, and at one-month follow-up on depressive symptoms, anxiety, stress, burnout, compassion fatigue, compassion satisfaction, post-traumatic stress symptoms, trait mindfulness, self-compassion, sleep quality, working memory, and fear of COVID-19 infection. Results of the study will have implications on developing cost-effective interventions to mitigate psychological symptoms among health workers in the context of heightened pandemic-related stress.

Official Title
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Effects of Mindfulness Practice on Healthcare Workers During the COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease) Pandemic

Conditions
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Psychological Burnout

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Mindfulness Practice
* Behavioral: Cognitive training


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: aged between 21 and 60 being a health care worker based in Singapore proficient in English owns a smartphone (iOS or Android) with Wi-Fi or data access. Exclusion Criteria: -Regular mindfulness practice, defined by practicing a minimum of two to three times a week for 10 to 15 minutes each time within the past six months.

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 21 Years
Maximum Age: 60 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: HeadSpace Mobile App<br>Mindfulness practice | Behavioral: Mindfulness Practice<br>* 10-15 mins of daily mindfulness practice using HeadSpace, for 3 weeks<br>|
| Active Comparator: Lumosity Mobile App<br>Cognitive games | Behavioral: Cognitive training<br>* 10-15 mins of cognitive games using Lumosity, for 3 weeks<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Depression | Depression subscale of the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales- 21 (DASS) | Change from Baseline to Within 7 Days Post intervention | 
| Anxiety | Anxiety subscale of the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales- 21 (DASS) | Change from Baseline to Within 7 Days Post intervention | 
| Fear of COVID-19 | Fear of COVID-19 Scale | Change from Baseline to Within 7 Days Post intervention | 
| Burnout, Compassion Satisfaction, and Secondary Traumatic Stress | Professional Quality of Life Scale Version 5 (3 subscales respectively) | Change from Baseline to Within 7 Days Post intervention | 
| Sleep Quality | One item from Pittsburg Sleep Quality Inventory | Change from Baseline to Within 7 Days Post intervention | 
| Working Memory | Digit span tasks - forward and backward | Change from Baseline to Within 7 Days Post intervention | 
| PTSD symptoms | Posttraumatic stress disorder Checklist- Civilian Version(higher scores indicate greater PTSD symptoms) | Change from Baseline to Within 7 Days Post intervention | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Trait Mindfulness | Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (higher scores indicate greater trait mindfulness) | Change from Baseline to Within 7 Days Post intervention | 
| Self-Compassion | Self-Compassion Scale (higher scores indicate greater self-compassion) | Change from Baseline to Within 7 Days Post intervention |