Mobile app stress management and public school teachers : a feasibility study
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Purpose: The purpose of this scholarly project was to determine the feasibility and acceptability of using a widely available commercial meditation app, Headspace, to promote well-being among teachers at Springfield Public Schools (SPS) (primary outcome). A secondary outcome was to explore the impact of meditation on teacher stress and well-being. Methods: This feasibility pilot study utilized a single group with pre-and post-test design among teachers employed by the largest school district in Missouri (n = 21). Internet-based surveys administered at baseline and post-intervention included the Perceived Stress Scale and PROMIS™ measures. Narrative comments with perspectives about the study were obtained and analyzed for common themes. Results: Teachers enjoyed learning about meditation and appreciated having a new tool to assist with stress and sleep, establishing acceptability and demand for mindfulness interventions in this population. Trends in the data demonstrated decreases in anxiety, depression, sleep, and improvement in life satisfaction. Perceived stress improved yielding a 20.3% decrease (p = .008). Sleep disturbance reduced by 13.3% (p < .001). Although some teachers reported forgetting to use intervention as directed, app use continued post-intervention (76%) indicating that most participants liked the app and found it helpful. Conclusions: The feasibility of implementing a meditation mobile app among public school teachers was established. The results of this study provide preliminary data on how meditation interventions via mobile apps work in the public school setting among teachers. Data suggests that teachers desire and enjoy the opportunity to learn about well-being interventions and benefit from meditation practice.
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 License.