Is self-help mindfulness-based cognitive therapy beneficial for healthcare staff? A pilot randomised controlled trial

A pilot randomised controlled trial of self-help Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) for healthcare staff

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

ISRCTN

Registry ID

ISRCTN16486066

Enrollment

Registered

2014-11-25

Start date

2014-12-01

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2021-01-05

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Mental health Mental and Behavioural Disorders

Interventions

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) is an 8-week group intervention with a wealth of evidence for effectiveness at improving mental health, including for healthcare staff. This study will use a

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: 1. Adults aged 18 or older 2. Are currently employed by the host mental health NHS trust in a role that involves direct delivery of healthcare, this is operationalised as having at least one day per week of direct contact with patients 3. Are currently in work 4. Are willing to refrain from engaging in another form of psychological intervention during the course of the study 5. Have not previously completed a mindfulness-based intervention where 'completed? is defined as having undertaken 50% or more of a face-to-face delivered mindfulness-based intervention 6. Have self-reported sufficient English language reading ability to read and understand the self help book

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: Does not meet inclusion criteria

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
1. Stress: The stress subscale of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21). The DASS-21 is a short version of the 42-item DASS. The DASS-21 is a set of three 7-item self-report scales designed to measure stress, depression, and anxiety. Each of the 21 items describes a negative state and participants are asked to use a 4-point Likert-type scale to rate the extent they have experienced this state over the past week. The DASS-21 subscales have been found to validly measure stress, anxiety and stress; in non-clinical populations, as well as tapping a more general dimension of psychological distress. The internal consistency and concurrent validity of the scale and subscales have been reported to be in the acceptable to excellent ranges. 2. Compassion for Others: The Compassion Scale adapted for this study. We will use an adapted version of Neff and Pommier?s scale. This 24-item scale measures compassion directed towards others and is based upon a definition of compassion adopted from Neff?s model of self-compassion. Neff?s model proposed that compassion entails kindness, common humanity, and mindfulness. The compassion scale is composed of six subscales based on six factors: kindness vs indifference, common humanity vs separation, and mindfulness vs disengagement. The internal consistency, concurrent and convergent validity of the scale have been reported to be good. The adapted version includes 10 additional questions to broaden to scope of the measure in order to measure multiple aspects of compassion for others. 3. Sickness Absence: The number of days of sickness absence in the three months prior to the intervention and in the three months following the intervention, as recorded by the trust Human Resources department, will be used as a measure of days of sickness absence taken by participants	—

Measure

Time frame

1. Stress: The stress subscale of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21). The DASS-21 is a short version of the 42-item DASS. The DASS-21 is a set of three 7-item self-report scales designed to measure stress, depression, and anxiety. Each of the 21 items describes a negative state and participants are asked to use a 4-point Likert-type scale to rate the extent they have experienced this state over the past week. The DASS-21 subscales have been found to validly measure stress, anxiety and stress; in non-clinical populations, as well as tapping a more general dimension of psychological distress. The internal consistency and concurrent validity of the scale and subscales have been reported to be in the acceptable to excellent ranges. 2. Compassion for Others: The Compassion Scale adapted for this study. We will use an adapted version of Neff and Pommier?s scale. This 24-item scale measures compassion directed towards others and is based upon a definition of compassion adopted from Neff?s model of self-compassion. Neff?s model proposed that compassion entails kindness, common humanity, and mindfulness. The compassion scale is composed of six subscales based on six factors: kindness vs indifference, common humanity vs separation, and mindfulness vs disengagement. The internal consistency, concurrent and convergent validity of the scale have been reported to be good. The adapted version includes 10 additional questions to broaden to scope of the measure in order to measure multiple aspects of compassion for others. 3. Sickness Absence: The number of days of sickness absence in the three months prior to the intervention and in the three months following the intervention, as recorded by the trust Human Resources department, will be used as a measure of days of sickness absence taken by participants

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Secondary

Measure	Time frame
1. The anxiety and depression subscales of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21): The anxiety and depression subscales of the DASS-21 will be used as a secondary outcome measure in the pilot and main trial. The internal consistency and concurrent validity of the scale and subscales have been reported to be in the acceptable to excellent ranges. 2. Five-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire ? Short Form (FFMQ-SF): This 24-item scale assesses five facets of mindfulness. It has been reported to have good indices of reliability and validity. The FFMQ-SF will be used in the pilot and main trial to asses whether the MBCT-SH intervention has the intended effect of increasing mindfulness skills. 3. Self-compassion Scale ? Short Form (SCS-SF): The SCF-SF will be included in the pilot and main trial as a secondary outcome measure. Self-compassion is an important aspect of mindfulness (Kuken et al., 2010) not included in the FFMQ-SF. The 12-item SCS-SF yields a total self-compassion score. It has reported to have good reliability, validity, and internal consistency (Cronbach?s alpha = 0.86). Further, it was found to have the same factor structure and to correlate almost perfectly with the longer form of the SCS (r = 0.98). 4. Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (SWEMWS): The short version of the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale is a 7-item measure of wellbeing. This will be used in the pilot and main trial to evaluate the effects of the intervention beyond changes in symptoms of psychological distress. It has been found to have good reliability, validity and internal consistency. 5. The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI): The MBI will is a 22-item self-report inventory using a Likert scale that measures three facets of job-related burnout: emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation, and reduced personal accomplishment. Several studies have found mindfulness-based interventions to be effective in d	—

Measure

Time frame

1. The anxiety and depression subscales of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21): The anxiety and depression subscales of the DASS-21 will be used as a secondary outcome measure in the pilot and main trial. The internal consistency and concurrent validity of the scale and subscales have been reported to be in the acceptable to excellent ranges. 2. Five-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire ? Short Form (FFMQ-SF): This 24-item scale assesses five facets of mindfulness. It has been reported to have good indices of reliability and validity. The FFMQ-SF will be used in the pilot and main trial to asses whether the MBCT-SH intervention has the intended effect of increasing mindfulness skills. 3. Self-compassion Scale ? Short Form (SCS-SF): The SCF-SF will be included in the pilot and main trial as a secondary outcome measure. Self-compassion is an important aspect of mindfulness (Kuken et al., 2010) not included in the FFMQ-SF. The 12-item SCS-SF yields a total self-compassion score. It has reported to have good reliability, validity, and internal consistency (Cronbach?s alpha = 0.86). Further, it was found to have the same factor structure and to correlate almost perfectly with the longer form of the SCS (r = 0.98). 4. Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (SWEMWS): The short version of the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale is a 7-item measure of wellbeing. This will be used in the pilot and main trial to evaluate the effects of the intervention beyond changes in symptoms of psychological distress. It has been found to have good reliability, validity and internal consistency. 5. The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI): The MBI will is a 22-item self-report inventory using a Likert scale that measures three facets of job-related burnout: emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation, and reduced personal accomplishment. Several studies have found mindfulness-based interventions to be effective in d

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Countries

United Kingdom

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ISRCTN (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026