Religiously oriented mindfulness for social workers: effects on mindfulness, heart rate variability, and personal burnout

ABSTRACT This pilot study explored whether a Moving Pictures Experts Group-3 (MP3) delivery of a Religiously Oriented Mindfulness (ROM) intervention would improve mindfulness, increase cardiac vagal tone, and decrease Personal Burnout for a sample of social workers. To examine the efficacy of such a ROM, pre and posttest data were collected from N = 22 social workers in vivo (at job or university sites) using the Mindful Attention and Awareness Scale (MAAS), Heart Rate Variability (HRV), and the Personal Burn-out dimension of the Copenhagen Burnout Scale. Paired-sample t-tests revealed significant differences between pre-and-posttest measures, indicating improvements on all measures with medium to large effect sizes for the MAAS, and HRV, and a smaller effect size for the decrease in Personal Burnout at posttest. ROM is effective in improving mindfulness, increasing HRV, and decreasing Personal Burnout in social workers. The religious nature of this mindfulness intervention, as well as the in vivo nature of this study design is novel in mindfulness studies. The results of this pilot study warrant further exploration of how a religious integration of practices in mindfulness can be effective in improving mindfulness, and self-regulatory function, and preventing burnout in social workers.