Feasibility and effectiveness of the mindfulness-based stress reduction programs on relieving burnout of healthcare providers during the COVID-19 pandemic: a pilot randomized controlled trial in China.

Abstract

Background: The 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic brings critical health problems to workers in many occupations, particularly healthcare providers. The aim of the study was to examine the feasibility and effectiveness of the mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program on relieving burnout of healthcare providers during the pandemic. The roles of positive and negative emotion as well as emotion regulation strategy in the intervention effects were also investigated.

Methods: A sample of 112 healthcare providers in China were recruited and randomly assigned to the MBSR (n = 56) or the control condition (n = 56). Measures were collected at pre-intervention, mid-intervention, and post-intervention, assessing mindfulness level, emotion regulation strategy, positive and negative emotion, and burnout.

Results: The MBSR program showed acceptable feasibility. Compared to the control group, healthcare providers in the MBSR group showed significant increase in personal accomplishment and decrease in emotional exhaustion after the intervention. No significant difference was detected on the dimension of depersonalization. Results of mediation analyses implied that cognitive reappraisal and positive affect partially mediated the intervention effects on personal accomplishment.

Conclusions: The study provided preliminary evidence that the MBSR programs might be effective in reducing healthcare providers' burnout, even during the pandemic. Cognitive reappraisal and positive emotion might be important mechanisms of how the training took effect.