A randomised trial of Mindfulness-based Social Work and Self-Care with social workers

Abstract

The primary objective of this study was to examine the effects of a bespoke and innovative six-week online Mindfulness-based Social Work and Self-Care (MBSWSC) programme on the stress, feelings of burnout, anxiety, depression, and well-being of a sample of social workers. This secondary objective was to examine the effectiveness of MBSWSC at improving a number of potentially important mindfulness-based programme mechanisms of action, including mindfulness, attention regulation (decentering), acceptance, self-compassion, non-attachment, aversion, worry and rumination. A randomised controlled trial with repeated measures (pre-post intervention) was conducted to evaluate the effects of MBSWSC against an active control. The active control was a modified mindfulness-based programme which focussed on supporting increases in mindfulness and self-compassion in social workers with a view to improving the same primary study outcomes. Sixty-two participants were randomly allocated to MBSWSC (n = 33) or the active control (n = 29). When compared to the active control group, the MBSWSC programme was found to be significantly superior at improving stress, emotional exhaustion, anxiety, and depression. MBSWSC was also superior to the active control at improving acceptance, mindfulness, non-attachment, attention regulation (decentering) and worry of the social workers in this study. The results suggest that MBSWSC is a very useful therapeutic programme, which has the capacity to improve a range of important mental health and well-being outcomes for social workers. The results also indicate that the MBSWSC programme has the capacity to improve a range of important mindfulness-based mechanisms of action. Trial registration URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT05519267 (retrospectively registered).

Social Workers, Burnout, and Self-Care:

“…In a Mindfulness - based social work and self-care (MBSWSC) research study conducted by Maddock, McGuigan & McCusker, 15 on stress, burnout, anxiety, and depression, found that their MBSWSC program was a useful program that improved the mental health and well-being outcomes for social workers. The study’s findings also suggest that social workers who use the MBSWSC program are more likely to experience less burnout and improved mental wellbeing.…”

“…The study’s findings also suggest that social workers who use the MBSWSC program are more likely to experience less burnout and improved mental wellbeing. 15 …”

“…Social workers and helping professionals can use a yoga way of life to get to the root of their stress and learn how to change their emotional, psychological, and spiritual way of thinking to better be able to process their stress and alleviate it while serving others. 15 It is found that yoga helps a person identify their stressors and the root of their stress which makes them more aware of their situation and allows better responses. 15 The results of this experiment proved that by incorporating yoga into their life, it can significantly reduce job burnout of managers.…”

“… 15 It is found that yoga helps a person identify their stressors and the root of their stress which makes them more aware of their situation and allows better responses. 15 The results of this experiment proved that by incorporating yoga into their life, it can significantly reduce job burnout of managers.…”

The Mindfulness-Based Social Work and Self-Care Programme: A Focus Group Study

“…The MBSWSC programme is a unique mindfulness-based programme for social work practice and self-care. The MBSWSC programme, it's theoretical underpinnings, protocol and structure have been described previously (Maddock et al, 2023;Maddock, 2023). In brief, the MBSWSC programme combines mindfulness with psychoeducation, embedded within a cognitive and emotion regulation framework (Maddock, 2023).…”