Poster #209 - Just Be: A Mindfulness-Based Intervention Pilot Study for Preschool Teachers

• In Event: 2-110 - Poster Session 07
  In Poster Session: PS 07 Section - Social, Emotional, Personality

Integrative Statement

Teachers play a vital role in building classroom environments that promote sensitive interactions with their students, engagements between children, and contribute importantly to children’s learning and well-being (Flook, et al., 2013; Jennings & Greenberg, 2009). Yet, sobering statistics suggest increasing levels of burnout among preschool teachers. To address the growing concerns, the current study replicated and extended a study published by Flook et al. (2013) to examine the effectiveness of a mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) in providing strategies and skills for stress management and increasing general well-being among teachers.

Research Questions
To what extent does an 8-week modified mindfulness intervention delivered to preschool teachers lead to differences in teachers’ feelings of burnout, mindfulness, and well-being?

Method
Participants included 28 (n = 9 intervention; n= 19 comparison) preschool teachers working in childcare centers in a mid-western state. Participants in the intervention group attended 8-weekly MBI sessions focused on mindfulness principles and attitudinal foundations as a means of working with stress; completed weekly formal and informal practices at home for 10-45 minutes a day 6 out of 7 days a week; and participated in a full-day (6 hours) retreat engaging in meditative practices. Participants in both groups completed surveys on mindfulness (FFMQ; Baer et al., 2008), levels of stress (SCL-90-R; Derogatis, 1994), feelings of burnout (MBI-ES; Maslach, Jackson, & Leiter, 1996), satisfaction with life (SWLS; Diener , Emmons, Larson, & Griffin, 1985) , and well-being (WEMWBS; Stewart-Brown et al., 2011) at 3 time points: beginning of the study (Time 1), after study completion (Time 2), and 8 weeks after study completion (Time 3). Intervention participants attended a focus group 2 weeks after completing the MBI.

Results
One-way ANVOA models were estimated to examine group differences after completion of the MBI. Overall effects were significant for teachers’ self-reported mindfulness , burnout, and well-being (see Table 1). Specifically, planned contrasts revealed intervention group teachers reported increases in acting with awareness and nonjudgment, decreases in emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, and increases in their personal accomplishment and well-being. In examining group differences 8-weeks after completion of the intervention, overall effects were significant for teachers’ self-reported mindfulness and burnout. Specifically, planned contrasts revealed that teachers who had participated in the MBI reported higher levels of observing and lower feelings of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization. Themes extracted from the focus groups revealed that the MBI was well-received and was reported to positively impact their work as a preschool teacher (see Table 2).

Discussion
The findings suggest that participation in an MBI may provide teachers with skills and strategies to decrease their feelings of burnout, increase some areas of mindfulness, and increase feelings of well-being. Findings also suggested that 8-weeks after completing the intervention, teachers who participated in the MBI continued to report lower emotional exhaustion and depersonalization and higher levels of observing than teachers in the comparison group. The findings from this study provide useful information to preschool teachers, schools and policy makers who might be considering the use of mindfulness intervention to address teacher well-being and burnout.

Authors

• Amy Colgrove, The University of Nebraska-Lincoln
  Presenting Author

• Holly Hatton-Bowers, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
  Non-Presenting Author

• Victoria J Molfese, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
  Non-Presenting Author