A Swansea University study has found Be Mindful to be effective in improving the psychological wellbeing of care home staff and reducing their stress.
A published research study into the effect of digital Mindfulness Based Intervention (MBI), Be Mindful, for staff caring for patients living with dementia (PLWD) in 31 care homes across Wales, has found that the program improved the psychological wellbeing of care home staff and reduced their stress.
Care home staff work in challenging conditions that can lead to anxiety, stress, exhaustion and burnout. Supporting their mental health is vital to supporting their wellbeing and ability to perform their duties. The authors had previously reported high levels of stress for staff in nursing homes (Islam et al., 2017), but prior to this study there had been little research on whether an MBI could offer benefit to staff supporting PLWD.
The Be Mindful Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy program (MBCT) delivers interactive pre-recorded video-led sessions where participants learn and practice the MBCT skills and techniques for improving and maintaining good mental health in the long-term. The flexible web-based and on-demand format can be followed at a pace that suits individuals, using any desktop or mobile device.
Results of the randomised step-wedge trial by Swansea University demonstrated small to moderate significant improvements in both overall psychological wellbeing, as measured by the SF-12 (12-Item Short-Form Health Survey), and reductions in stress, as measured by the WSI (Work Stress Inventory). These were seen at 8 weeks after starting the program and maintained at 20 weeks.
Mean improvements in psychological wellbeing were greater at week 20 than week 8, indicating that longer exposure to the treatment offered more benefit. Additionally, these mean improvements in psychological wellbeing were almost doubled (89% increase) in the participants that had completed the program. Other improvements seen were for mean job satisfaction at both week 8 and 20, alongside scores in EWD (Experience of working with dementia patients) and ADQ (Approaches to Dementia Questionnaire) at week 20.
The results of the study open future research opportunities, to look at aspects such as accessibility and uptake, alongside economic consequences related to productivity and absenteeism.
This paper was published in Social Work and Social Sciences Review Journal. Read the full study here.
