Mindfulness- based intervention for reducing stress, depression and anxiety in workers: Randomized trail

Introduction: Mindfulness-based practices have showing promising results for mental health and positive changes at workplace context. The present study evaluated an intervention of mindfulness-based practices in technical-administrative workers to improve mental health parameters: perceived stress, depression, anxiety, burnout and mindfulness.

 Methods: Sixty subjects participated; they were randomized to a group that received an intervention with mindfulness-based practices for eight weeks and to a group that received no intervention. The main outcome evaluated was perceived stress, through the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS14), and the secondary outcomes were depression by Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), anxiety by Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), burnout by Maslach Burnout Inventory - general survey (MBI-GS), and mindfulness by Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ-BR). Outcomes were assessed before (T0) and after the intervention (T1).

 Conclusion: Descriptive analysis, Pearson's Chi square test and Fisher's exact test were performed to compare distributions of the variables between EG and CG groups. Mann-Whitney test was performed to evaluate intergroup changes between T0 and T1. Clinical trial registered UTN: U1111-1179- 7619. Results: The EG presented a reduction in the mean scores for perceived stress (p<0.001), depression (p<0.001) and anxiety (p=0.003), and increased the total mean score for mindfulness (p=0.012) and at the facet 3-observe: p=0.010 and facet 6-Do not react to internal experience: p=0.002, when compared to CG. The same post intervention effect was not observed for burnout at the total score (p=0.314) and its dimensions of the scale (emotional exhaustion: p=0.083; cynicism: p=0.736 and work efficacy: p=.486).

 Results: The results showed that mindfulness program resulted in reduction of perceived stress, depression, anxiety and increased mindfulness, demonstrating the beneficial potential of mindfulness-based practices for a nonclinical population of workers.

Author(s): Edilaine C. Silva Gherardi Donato  

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