Effects of Mindfulness Training on Emotional Care Strategies

Mental Health Issue Clinical Trial

Official title:

Effects of Mindfulness Training on Emotional Care Strategies

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT05056428
• Other study ID #: UHongKong (JC PandA)
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: September 25, 2021
• Est. completion date: March 31, 2022

Study information

• Verified date: May 2022
• Source: The University of Hong Kong
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

Teachers in Hong Kong are susceptible to professional stress and its associated psychosomatic illnesses. To enhance teachers' well-being, mindfulness training is conducted in local schools. The present study is a randomized controlled trial to investigate 1) the effects of mindfulness training on teachers' well-being (i.e. general health, positive affect, stress, negative affect); 2) whether decentering strategy (vs. cognitive reappraisal strategy) is nurtured by mindfulness practice; and 3) whether decentering instead of cognitive reappraisal is the mediator that explains the impact of mindfulness on well-being. Participants will be randomized to either intervention (8-week .b Foundations course) or waiting-list control condition.

Description:

All the participants will complete an online survey before (baseline), after (post-intervention), and two-months (follow-up) after the intervention. A subset of participants (N = 30) will complete an electroencephalography (EEG) experiment. Prior to the experiment, participants will complete an online questionnaire writing down eight recent autobiographical situations: four reflecting a neutral experience, two reflecting events that triggered anxiety, and two reflecting events that triggered sadness. After writing about each situation, participants will be asked to identify five keywords that are both unique and tightly linked to each situation. During the experiment, participants will be reminded of the autobiographical situations in the computerized task. Participants will be asked to view the keywords (i.e. control condition); step back and view the keywords like an impartial observer, allowing whatever thoughts or emotions arise to come and go (i.e. decentering condition); and think about the keywords from different perspective to minimize negative emotions (i.e. reappraisal condition). EEG will be recorded while participants complete the task. Participants will receive $200 Hong Kong dollars each time as a remuneration for the time to participate in the experiment.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 328
• Est. completion date: March 31, 2022
• Est. primary completion date: March 31, 2022
• Accepts healthy volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers
• Gender: All
• Age group: 18 Years and older

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• Aged 18 years old or above
• Working in local schools or education institutions
• Willing to participate in mindfulness training voluntarily

Exclusion Criteria:

• Have history of neurological or psychiatric disorder, brain injury, birth complications, or significant sensory impairment
• Currently under medications that are known to affect the brain (e.g. anti-depressants, epileptica, tranquilizer, sleep medication, psychotropics, ritalin, concerta, etc.)
• Experiencing severe or unstable mental health condition currently
• Completed 8-week mindfulness training previously
• Unwilling to go by random assignment

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Mental Health Issue

Intervention

Behavioral:
• 8-week mindfulness program
The .b Foundations course is an 8-week mindfulness program developed by Mindfulness in Schools Project (MiSP) for school teachers and personnel. It includes a taster session and 8 weekly sessions. Each session lasts for 1.5 hours with a specific theme (e.g. Lesson 1 waking up from autopilot). Formal and informal mindfulness practices (e.g. mindful eating, body scan, mindful walking, habit releaser etc.), psychoeducation, cognitive exercises, inquiry, and home practice are involved.

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
Hong Kong	Jockey Club "Peace and Awareness" Mindfulness Culture in Schools Initiative, Faculty of Social Sciences, The University of Hong Kong	Hong Kong

Sponsors (2)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
The University of Hong Kong	Chinese University of Hong Kong

Country where clinical trial is conducted

Hong Kong, 

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Change in General Health	General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), 12 items, 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (never) to 5 (always)	Baseline, Immediately after intervention, Two-months after intervention
Primary	Change in Stress	Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), 10 items, 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (never) to 5 (always)	Baseline, Immediately after intervention, Two-months after intervention
Secondary	Change in Positive affect	Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), 4 items, 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (never) to 5 (always)	Baseline, Immediately after intervention, Two-months after intervention
Secondary	Change in Negative affect	Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), 4 items, 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (never) to 5 (always)	Baseline, Immediately after intervention, Two-months after intervention
Secondary	Change in Decentering	Non Reactivity Subscale of Chinese Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ-C), 4 items, 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (never) to 5 (always)	Baseline, Immediately after intervention, Two-months after intervention
Secondary	Change in Reappraisal	Reappraisal subscale of Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ), 6 items, 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (never) to 5 (always)	Baseline, Immediately after intervention, Two-months after intervention
Secondary	Change in Mindfulness	Cognitive and Affective Mindfulness Scale-Revised (CAMS-R), 12 items, 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (never) to 5 (always)	Baseline, Immediately after intervention, Two-months after intervention
Secondary	Change in Late positive potential (LPP)	A measure of emotional reactivity in EEG experiment; the amplitude of event-related potential (ERP) time-locked to the presentation of emotional stimulus (-200ms to 6000ms).	Baseline, Immediately after intervention