In four studies, we document the development and validation of the Emotional Style Questionnaire (ESQ)-a 24-item self-report measure that captures how people vary across 6 dimensions that make up a healthy emotional life. These 6 dimensions (Outlook, Resilience, Social Intuition, Self-Awareness, Sensitivity to Context, and Attention) are based on a theoretical framework drawn from neuroscientific studies of emotion. Study 1 reports the development of the ESQ and provides initial support for the proposed factorial structure of the scale. Study 2 confirms the adequacy of the factorial structure in a second sample and establishes the construct validity of each of the 6 subscales. In Study 3, we test the relationship between the ESQ as a measure of healthy emotionality and various indicators of psychological and physical well-being. Finally, Study 4 investigates the test-retest reliability of the scale and reveals very good reliability across an interval of 4 weeks. We conclude that the ESQ is a psychometrically solid and easily implementable instrument that can be used to gauge healthy emotionality and its components in both clinical and research settings. Public Significance StatementThis study introduces the Emotional Style Questionnaire-a 24-item measure of overall emotional health-which also provides more fine-tuned information about the 6 different dimensions underlying emotional health. This easily implementable questionnaire can be used by anyone (e.g., researchers, clinicians) interested in understanding the emotional profile of a person.

Whereas the extraordinary pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic on student mental health have received considerable attention, less attention has been placed on educator well-being. School system employees play a vital role in society, and teacher levels of well-being are associated with the educational outcomes of young people. We extend extant research on the prevalence and correlates of educator distress during the pandemic by reporting on a pragmatic randomized wait-list controlled trial (N = 662; 64% teachers) of an innovative mental health promotion strategy implemented during the pandemic; a free 4-week smartphone-based meditation app designed to train key constituents of well-being (Healthy Minds Program [HMP]). Following our preregistered analysis plan and consistent with hypotheses, assignment to the HMP predicted significantly larger reductions in psychological distress, our primary outcome, at post intervention (Cohen’s d = −.53, 95% CI [−.69, −.38], p < .001) and at the 3-month follow-up (d = −.33 [−.48, −.18], p < .001). Also consistent with hypotheses, we observed similar indications of immediate and sustained benefit following the HMP on all six preregistered secondary outcomes selected to tap skills targeted in the app (e.g., perseverative thinking, social connection, well-being; absolute ds = .19–.42, all ps < .031 corrected except mindful action at follow-up). We found no evidence for elevated adverse events, and the HMP was equally effective among participants with elevated baseline anxiety and depressive symptoms. These data suggest that the HMP may be an effective and scalable approach to supporting the mental health and well-being of teachers and other school system employees, with implications for employee retention and performance and student outcomes.

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The working alliance may be relevant in unguided smartphone-based interventions, but no validated measure exists. We evaluated the psychometric properties of the six-item Digital Working Alliance Inventory (DWAI) using a cross-sectional survey of meditation app users ( n = 290) and the intervention arm of a randomized trial testing a smartphone-based meditation app ( n = 314). Exploratory factor analysis suggested a single-factor solution which was replicated using longitudinal confirmatory factor analysis. The DWAI showed adequate internal consistency and test–retest reliability. Discriminant validity was supported by a lack of association with social desirability, psychological distress, and preference for a waitlist condition. Convergent validity was supported by positive associations with perceived app effectiveness and preference for an app condition. Supporting predictive validity, DWAI scores positively predicted self-reported and objective app utilization. When assessed at Weeks 3 or 4 of the intervention, but not earlier, DWAI scores predicted pre–post reductions in psychological distress.

Background Mindfulness meditation has become a common method for reducing stress, stress-related psychopathology and some physical symptoms. As mindfulness programs become ubiquitous, concerns have been raised about their unknown potential for harm. We estimate multiple indices of harm following Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) on two primary outcomes: global psychological and physical symptoms. In secondary analyses, we estimate multiple indices of harm on anxiety and depressive symptoms, discomfort in interpersonal relations, paranoid ideation and psychoticism. Methods Intent-to-treat analyses with multiple imputations for missing data were used on pre- and post-test data from a large, observational dataset (n = 2155) of community health clinic MBSR classes and from MBSR (n = 156) and waitlist control (n = 118) participants from three randomized controlled trials conducted contemporaneous to community classes in the same city by the same health clinic MBSR teachers. We estimate the change in symptoms, proportion of participants with increased symptoms, proportion of participants reporting greater than a 35% increase in symptoms, and for global psychological symptoms, clinically significant harm. Results We find no evidence that MBSR leads to higher rates of harm relative to waitlist control on any primary or secondary outcome. On many indices of harm across multiple outcomes, community MBSR was significantly preventative of harm. Conclusions Engagement in MBSR is not predictive of increased rates of harm relative to no treatment. Rather, MBSR may be protective against multiple indices of harm. Research characterizing the relatively small proportion of MBSR participants that experience harm remains important.