Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Mental Health Professionals: a Long-Term Quantitative Follow-up Study

Abstract

The authors investigated whether the psychological benefits and meditation practice identified three months after attending a Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) program were maintained in a group of mental health professionals at 18-months follow-up. Of the 23 participants who attended the original MBCT program, 18 agreed to participate. A repeated measures design was employed with the following measures taken: mindfulness; psychological well-being; life satisfaction; trait worry; trait and state anxiety; and an index of weekly meditation practice. A measure of life events and perceived stress (SRRS) was also included. Participants (N = 10) who provided data at each of the three time-points -baseline, 3-months followup and 18-months follow-up -were included in the repeated measures ANOVAs.Compared to baseline, a significant improvement in levels of mindfulness, trait anxiety and trait worry, was noted at 18-months follow-up. Three quarters of the current sample maintained some form of meditation practice although weekly amounts of meditation practice were found to be unrelated to psychological wellbeing. Contrary to prediction, life events and related levels of perceived stress correlated positively with levels of mindfulness. Attending an MBCT group as a mental health professional appears to have a positive impact on psychological wellbeing and ongoing meditation practice which persists long after the end of the intervention. Reasons for a lack of association between length of weekly practice and psychological well-being, as well as the positive relationship between perceived stress and mindfulness, are discussed.

Mindfulness and acceptance-based trainings for fostering self-care and reducing stress in mental health professionals: A systematic review

“…However, no effect was found for satisfaction with life (SWLS). The effects on mindfulness were found to persist up to 18 months following the intervention (De Zoysa, Ruths, Walsh, & Hutton, 2014). Moreover, at the 18-month follow-up decreases were found for worry (Penn State Worry Questionnaire/ PSWQ) and trait anxiety (STAI).…”

Including the ‘Spiritual’ Within Mental Health Care in the UK, from the Experiences of People with Mental Health Problems

“…Only recently has spirituality started to be viewed as a vital dimension of holistic practice and person-centred care (Barrera et al 2012 ) with clinicians being trained in Mindfulness, (a form of meditation based on the Buddhist tradition), and more recently Mindfulness Stress Reduction, and Mindfulness Cognitive Therapy (see Williams and Penman 2011 ), and to incorporate spiritual matters within therapeutic interventions (Bögels et al 2010 ; Paulik et al 2010 ). Spirituality is also now acknowledged as a support mechanism for mental health professionals (see de Zoysa et al 2014 ). Cohen and Koenig ( 2004 ) and Koenig ( 2013 ), however, caution clinicians against prescribing religious practices or imposing their own religious beliefs on patients.…”

Primjena kognitivne terapije usredotočene svjesnosti usmjerene na stres sa službenicima zatvorskog sustava

“…For example, after completing different mindfulness-based programmes, medical professionals working in other stressful environments reported their positive effects on stress, burnout, anxiety, subjective well-being, awareness, compassion for themselves and others and physical health (Burton, Burgess, Dean, Koutsopoulou and Hugh-Jones, 2017;Irving, Dobkin and Park, 2009;Klein, Taieb, Xavier, Baubet and Reyre, 2020;Morgan, Simpson and Smith, 2015;Raab, 2014;Regehr, Glancy, Pitts and LeBlanc, 2014;Ruiz-Fernández, Ortíz-Amo, Ortega-Galán, Ibáñez-Masero, Rodríguez-Salvador and Ramos-Pichardo, 2020). Similar effects have also been observed in mental health professionals (Aggs and Bambling, 2010;Christopher, Chrisman, Trotter-Mathison, Schure, Dahlen and Christopher, 2011;de Zoysa, Ruths, Walsh and Hutton, 2014;Dobie, Tucker, Ferrari and Rogers, 2016;Lam, Sterling and Margines, 2015;Rudaz, Twohig, Ong and Levin, 2017;Ruths, de Zoysa, Frearson, Hutton, Williams and Walsh, 2013;Suyi, Meredith and Khan, 2017), and police officers (Christopher et al, 2016;Eddy, Bergman, Kaplan, Goerling and Christopher, 2019;Grupe, McGehee, Smith, Francis, Mumford and Davidson, 2019;Márquez, Galiana, Oliver and Sansó, 2020).…”