Effects of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction on employees' mental health: A systematic review.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to explore the effects of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) on employees' mental health through a systematic review.
Results Summary
The study found that MBSR reduced emotional exhaustion, stress, psychological distress, depression, anxiety, and occupational stress while improving mindfulness, personal accomplishment, self-compassion, sleep quality, and relaxation. No studies exclusively examined MBCT.
Population
Employees (workforce participants)
Effective Dosage
Not specified
Duration
Not specified
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) | decrease | levels of emotional exhaustion | employees | - | reduced | #1 |
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) | decrease | stress | employees | - | reduced | #2 |
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) | decrease | psychological distress | employees | - | reduced | #3 |
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) | decrease | depression | employees | - | reduced | #4 |
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) | decrease | anxiety | employees | - | reduced | #5 |
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) | decrease | occupational stress | employees | - | reduced | #6 |
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) | increase | mindfulness | employees | - | Improvements were found in terms of | #7 |
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) | increase | personal accomplishment | employees | - | Improvements were found in terms of | #8 |
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) | increase | (occupational) self-compassion | employees | - | Improvements were found in terms of | #9 |
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) | increase | quality of sleep | employees | - | Improvements were found in terms of | #10 |
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) | increase | relaxation | employees | - | Improvements were found in terms of | #11 |
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) | increase | psychological functioning | employees | - | may help to improve | #12 |
OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this exploratory study was to obtain greater insight into the effects of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) on the mental health of employees. METHODS: Using PsycINFO, PubMed, and CINAHL, we performed a systematic review in October 2015 of studies investigating the effects of MBSR and MBCT on various aspects of employees' mental health. Studies with a pre-post design (i.e. without a control group) were excluded. RESULTS: 24 articles were identified, describing 23 studies: 22 on the effects of MBSR and 1 on the effects of MBSR in combination with some aspects of MBCT. Since no study focused exclusively on MBCT, its effects are not described in this systematic review. Of the 23 studies, 2 were of high methodological quality, 15 were of medium quality and 6 were of low quality. A meta-analysis was not performed due to the emergent and relatively uncharted nature of the topic of investigation, the exploratory character of this study, and the diversity of outcomes in the studies reviewed. Based on our analysis, the strongest outcomes were reduced levels of emotional exhaustion (a dimension of burnout), stress, psychological distress, depression, anxiety, and occupational stress. Improvements were found in terms of mindfulness, personal accomplishment (a dimension of burnout), (occupational) self-compassion, quality of sleep, and relaxation. CONCLUSION: The results of this systematic review suggest that MBSR may help to improve psychological functioning in employees.