Experiences of university employees of the impact of a mindful self-care and resiliency program on their well-being

Hegney, Desley; Tsai, Lily; Craigie, Mark; Crawford, Christopher; Jay, Sarah M.; Rees, Clare S.

doi:10.1080/07294360.2020.1764508

Cited by 11 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…Therefore, these results are situated in social contexts and may be influenced by group dynamics between the focus group participants. However, as demonstrated in the explanatory themes, similar results have been found among individuals in previous studies ( Orellana-Rios et al, 2017 ; Hegney et al, 2021 ), indicating validity of the obtained results. An added benefit of conducting data collection using focus groups was that respondents validated the experiences of peers and followed up with their own examples of similar experiences.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

“…Hence, these expressed changes in behavior in stressful situations may indirectly affect the mental health of employees and managers via enhanced mental health skills. In a study of how an MBI impacted university employees, respondents stated that following participation in the MBI, they listen more actively, think and then respond during interactions at work ( Hegney et al, 2021 ). However, as pointed to in the present study, increased awareness may not always lead to changes in the automated patterns of reaction in stressful situations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Impacting employees’ and managers’ mental health skills using a workplace-adapted mindfulness-based intervention

et al. 2022

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BackgroundDuring the past decades, the mental health of the population has been declining. Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) has been found effective in enhancing well-being along with reducing perceived stress and symptoms of anxiety and depression. Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) in the workplace have shown promising results relating to the mental health of employees and managers. However, the research field of organizational-level MBIs being offered to entire companies is still nascent. Practicing mindfulness may affect skills related to good mental health. Thus, the objective of this study was to investigate the impact of an organizational-level MBI on the mental health skills of employees and managers.MethodsThis qualitative study was part of a quasi-experimental multi-method study. Four small and medium-sized private enterprises with a total of 368 employees and managers were included. The intervention contained: 1. An obligatory introductory session on mental health and mindfulness, 2. Voluntary participation in a 10-week live online workplace-adapted MBSR course, and 3. A workshop for selected employee representatives and managers on further implementation of mindfulness in the organization. A total of 27 focus group interviews including 76 respondents were conducted pre- and post-intervention. Verbatim transcription was performed. Data was analyzed using inductive qualitative content analysis.ResultsThrough analysis, four pre-intervention categories emerged: 1. Bodily sensations and awareness in stressful situations, 2. Reactive and passive behavior during stressful situations, 3. Differences in perception as a stressor, 4. Self-criticism and low ability to practice self-care. Six post-intervention categories were identified: 1. Enhanced ability to be aware in the present moment, 2. Increased acknowledgement of how others may view things differently from oneself, 3. Increased kindness to oneself and being able to practice self-care, 4. Moving from reactive to responsive behavior in stressful situations, 5. Mindfulness as an accelerator for an ongoing personal process and 6. Practicing mindfulness – setting time aside or being mindful in everyday life.ConclusionThis study indicates that it is possible to enhance employees’ and managers’ mental health skills using an organizational-level MBI. Enhanced awareness in the present moment transcended through post-intervention categories, facilitating increased self-kindness and responsive behavior in stressful situations.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impacting employees’ and managers’ mental health skills using a workplace-adapted mindfulness-based intervention

et al. 2022

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“…Findings indicated the importance for users to be aware of and reflect on their mental health status to motivate them to practice self-care. This observation is consistent with previous studies showing that individuals need to be mindful of their self-care to promote practice and well-being [ 62 , 63 ]. This awareness interacts with users’ motivations, hopes, and ability to make self-care a habit, which results in different preferences and approaches to maintain mental well-being.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

A Web-Based Stratified Stepped Care Platform for Mental Well-being (TourHeart+): User-Centered Research and Design

Mak¹,

Ng²,

Leung³

2023

JMIR Form Res

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Background Internet-based mental health interventions have been demonstrated to be effective in alleviating psychological distress and promoting mental well-being. However, real-world uptake and engagement of such interventions have been low. Rather than being stand-alone interventions, situating internet-based interventions under a stratified stepped care system can support users to continue with mental health practice and monitor their mental health status for timely services that are commensurate with their needs. A user-centered approach should be used in the development of such web-based platforms to understand the facilitators and barriers in user engagement to enhance platform uptake, usability, and adherence so it can support the users’ continued adoption and practice of self-care for their mental health. Objective The aim of this study was to describe the design process taken to develop a web-based stratified stepped care mental health platform, TourHeart+, using a user-centered approach that gathers target users’ perceptions on mental self-care and feedback on the platform design and incorporates them into the design. Methods The process involved a design workshop with the interdisciplinary development team, user interviews, and 2 usability testing sessions on the flow of registration and mental health assessment and the web-based self-help interventions of the platform. The data collected were summarized as descriptive statistics if appropriate and insights are extracted inductively. Qualitative data were extracted using a thematic coding approach. Results In the design workshop, the team generated empathy maps and point-of-view statements related to the possible mental health needs of target users. Four user personas and related processes in the mental health self-care journey were developed based on user interviews. Design considerations were derived based on the insights drawn from the personas and mental health self-care journey. Survey results from 104 users during usability testing showed that the overall experience during registration and mental health assessment was friendly, and they felt cared for, although no statistically significant differences on preference ratings were found between using a web-based questionnaire tool and through an interactive chatbot, except that chatbot format was deemed more interesting. Facilitators of and barriers to registering the platform and completing the mental health assessment were identified through user feedback during simulation with mock-ups. In the usability testing for guided self-help interventions, users expressed pain points in course adherence, and corresponding amendments were made in the flow and design of the web-based courses. Conclusions The design process and findings presented in the study are important in developing a user-centric platform to optimize users’ acceptance and usability of a web-based stratified stepped care platform with guided self-help interventions for mental well-being. Accounting for users’ perceptions and needs toward mental health self-care and their experiences in the design process can enhance the usability of an evidence-based mental health platform on the web.

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“…Escalating workloads have led to deterioration in work-life balance, which combined with outcomes-based performance management and increased job insecurity have led to high levels of stress, health problems, job dissatisfaction and high turnover (Kinman and Johnson, 2019;Morrish, 2019). Several studies have explored the usefulness of MBPs for university employees (Atkins et al, 2015;Hegney et al, 2020;Kelly, 2017;Klatt et al, 2009;Koncz et al, 2016;Malarkey et al, 2013;Wongtongkam et al, 2017), all using face-to-face interventions; although Hegney et al (2020) also used video-conferencing. All reported improvements in stress or other measures of well-being apart from Malarkey et al (2013).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

A randomized controlled trial of an app-delivered mindfulness program among university employees: effects on stress and work-related outcomes

Rich

Ogden

Morison

2021

IJWHM

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PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to evaluate the impact on stress and work-related outcomes of an app-delivered mindfulness-based program (MBP; Headspace®) offered to employees in a UK higher education (HE) institution.Design/methodology/approachUsing a randomized waitlist control trial design, participants were randomly allocated to be offered a mindfulness-based program (MBP) immediately for 2 months or after a waiting list period of 2 months (WLC). Data were analyzed using Intention to Treat (ITT; MBP n = 62; WLC n = 63); with supplementary analysis restricting to those who completed all measures; (MBP n = 45; WLC n = 56) and then further restricting the MBP group to those who completed at least foundation level 1 of the app; (MBP n = 31; WLC n = 56).FindingsThe ITT analysis showed significant increases in several aspects of mindfulness and a significant reduction in perceived stress but no significant effects for work-related outcomes. Analysis restricted to MBP participants who completed the app foundation course showed a similar pattern but in addition showed significant increases in work-life balance and the emotional aspect of job engagement.Practical implicationsThe offer of the Headspace® app in the HE sector may result in reduced perceived stress. If improvements in work-related outcomes are also to be seen, then users need to be encouraged to complete a minimum level of practice.Originality/valueEffect size estimates for stress and work-related outcomes of an app-delivered MBP contribute to the evolving picture of MBPs in the workplace.

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Experiences of university employees of the impact of a mindful self-care and resiliency program on their well-being

Cited by 11 publications

References 29 publications

Impacting employees’ and managers’ mental health skills using a workplace-adapted mindfulness-based intervention

Impacting employees’ and managers’ mental health skills using a workplace-adapted mindfulness-based intervention

A Web-Based Stratified Stepped Care Platform for Mental Well-being (TourHeart+): User-Centered Research and Design

A randomized controlled trial of an app-delivered mindfulness program among university employees: effects on stress and work-related outcomes

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