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. 2018 Jan 24;13(1):e0191332.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0191332. eCollection 2018.

Effects of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction on employees' mental health: A systematic review

Math Janssen  1 , Yvonne Heerkens  1 , Wietske Kuijer  1 , Beatrice van der Heijden  2   3   4 , Josephine Engels  1
Affiliations

Effects of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction on employees' mental health: A systematic review

Math Janssen et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Objectives: The purpose of this exploratory study was to obtain greater insight into the effects of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) on the mental health of employees.

Methods: Using PsycINFO, PubMed, and CINAHL, we performed a systematic review in October 2015 of studies investigating the effects of MBSR and MBCT on various aspects of employees' mental health. Studies with a pre-post design (i.e. without a control group) were excluded.

Results: 24 articles were identified, describing 23 studies: 22 on the effects of MBSR and 1 on the effects of MBSR in combination with some aspects of MBCT. Since no study focused exclusively on MBCT, its effects are not described in this systematic review. Of the 23 studies, 2 were of high methodological quality, 15 were of medium quality and 6 were of low quality. A meta-analysis was not performed due to the emergent and relatively uncharted nature of the topic of investigation, the exploratory character of this study, and the diversity of outcomes in the studies reviewed. Based on our analysis, the strongest outcomes were reduced levels of emotional exhaustion (a dimension of burnout), stress, psychological distress, depression, anxiety, and occupational stress. Improvements were found in terms of mindfulness, personal accomplishment (a dimension of burnout), (occupational) self-compassion, quality of sleep, and relaxation.

Conclusion: The results of this systematic review suggest that MBSR may help to improve psychological functioning in employees.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Flow chart showing the review process and results.
* Once we had compiled a set of eligible studies, we searched their reference lists for additional studies (‘snowballing’ or ‘snowball’ method).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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