Mindfulness-based interventions in the workplace: An inclusive systematic review and meta-analysis of their impact upon wellbeing

Abstract

Given the demanding nature of many professions, efforts are ongoing to develop initiatives to improve occupational wellbeing, including mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs). To assess the efficacy of MBIs, meta-analytic procedures were conducted on 35 randomized controlled trials derived from an earlier inclusive systematic literature search (covering all occupations, MBIs, and wellbeing-related outcomes). Mindfulness had significant moderate effects on deficit-based outcomes such as stress (SMD = -0.57), anxiety (SMD = -0.57), distress (SMD = -0.56), depression (SMD = -0.48), and burnout (SMD = -0.36), and significant moderate to small effects on asset-based outcomes like health (SMD = 0.63), job performance (SMD = 0.43), compassion and empathy (SMD = 0.42), mindfulness (SMD = 0.39), and positivewellbeing (SMD = 0.36), while no significant effects were observed for depression or emotional regulation. However, the quality of the studies was inconsistent, suggesting more high-quality randomised controlled trials are needed.

Contemplative interventions and employee distress: A meta‐analysis

“…28, for a review), highlighting the importance of meta‐analysis. Although some meta‐analyses (e.g., Lomas et al, , ) show small to moderate effects for burnout, these findings are likely to be biased upwards given the omission of unpublished literature in these studies, as well as the smaller number of studies included. Our finding, based on a broader sample of literature, is consistent with the notion that burnout does not easily respond to interventions that target the individual but rather may need to be combined with structural interventions that concurrently address the work environment (see Maslach et al, ), such as cultivating an organizational climate that is supportive of employees' ability to proactively engage in mindfulness or other behaviors that support their well‐being (e.g., Slemp, Kern, Patrick, & Ryan, ; White, Slemp, & Murray, ).…”

“…Third, we extensively test for publication bias. Although some studies (e.g., Lomas et al, 2018c;Virgili, 2015) examined publication bias, bias-adjusted effect sizes were not reported, thus providing only limited indication of the extent to which reported effects may be biased.…”

“…As seen in Table , five of the available reviews incorporated meta‐analysis to synthesize findings, but those that did focused either on specific organizational contexts (e.g., health care or education; Burton et al, ; Klingbeil & Renshaw, ; Lomas et al, ) or on a narrow intervention category, such as mindfulness (e.g., Virgili, ). Thus, prior meta‐analyses have typically excluded forms of ACT or meditation (Lomas et al, , , ), whereas these interventions are included in qualitative systematic reviews (e.g., Eby et al, in press; Lomas et al ). With these imprecise boundaries for eligibility, we suggest that prior mindfulness meta‐analyses of the workplace literature are underinclusive.…”

“…Third, we extensively test for publication bias. Although some studies (e.g., Lomas et al, ; Virgili, ) examined publication bias, bias‐adjusted effect sizes were not reported, thus providing only limited indication of the extent to which reported effects may be biased. We use bias adjustments to statistically quantify how much of an impact publication bias is having on the literature and further consider whether bias is more or less evident across different study designs.…”

Positive Work: A Multidimensional Overview and Analysis of Work-Related Drivers of Wellbeing

“…Given the importance of awareness, and also the recognition that it can be trained, there is increasing attention on initiatives to foster awareness in the workplace. Much of this has focused on mindfulness, arguably the exemplar intervention in this respect see Lomas et al [2017aLomas et al [ , 2017bLomas et al [ , 2018aLomas et al [ , 2018bLomas et al [ , 2018c for a series of systematic reviews and meta-analyses of this literature). For instance, a meta-analysis of mindfulness-based interventions in the workplace found it to be effective at reducing employee distress (Virgili 2015).…”