A Mindfulness-Based Intervention to Reduce Stress Through the Cultivation of Loving-Kindness, Compassion, Joy, and Equanimity in Healthcare Professionals

NCT07283744 | Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: IRB-25-1518
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 80
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Nearly 50% of the adult workforce experience adverse psychological symptoms (e.g., stress, depression, burnout, etc.) stemming from workplace stressors, with healthcare workers experiencing rates as high as 80%. Some common complaints and downstream consequences of working in high-stress healthcare occupations are elevated levels of perceived stress, depression, and burnout. These conditions have been associated with unfavorable occupational (e.g., increased medical errors), patient (e.g., increased mortality rates), and provider-related outcomes (e.g., increased rates of cardiovascular disease), imposing a heavy burden on an already stretched system. Given the impact of perceived stress, depression, and burnout on employee and patient health, a clear need exists to develop effective interventions to reduce distress and promote well-being among healthcare professionals. In particular, interventions that target processes particularly vulnerable to provider stress (e.g., compassion) are needed. The present study will evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of a mindfulness-based intervention inspired by the Buddhist Four Immeasurables practice on reducing perceived stress (primary outcome), depressive symptoms, burnout, and biological markers of inflammation, and enhancing psychological well-being and sleep quality (secondary outcomes) in 80 healthcare workers. Additionally, we will investigate several mediators (compassion, positive emotions, equanimity, and mindfulness) of intervention effects. Participants will be healthcare employees of UCLA Health. They will be enrolled in a six-week, two-arm randomized controlled trial. Participants will complete self-report questionnaires at baseline, mid-course, and post-intervention to assess study outcomes and mediators. We aim to advance the study of interventions that reduce distress and promote well-being using practices that cultivate kind feelings toward oneself and others.

Conditions

Stress (Psychology); Inflamation; Psychosocial Functioning

Keywords

mindfulness; compassion; loving-kindness; healthcare professional; stress

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Mean Change from Baseline in Perceived Stress as Assessed by the Perceived Stress Scale

  Stress will be assessed using the ten-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). The PSS evaluates how often individuals appraised situations in their lives as stressful during the past month (e.g., "In the last month, how often have you been angered because of things that were outside of your control?"). Respondents respond on a five-point Likert scale from 0 (never) to 4 (very often). All scores are summed to provide a total stress score. Scores range from 0 to 40, with higher scores indicating a higher level of perceived stress. The PSS has been widely used with healthcare professional populations and has been shown to be responsive to mindfulness-based interventions.

  At baseline, mid-course at week 3, and post-intervention at week 6.

Secondary Outcomes (5)

• Mean Change from Baseline in Depressive Symptoms as Assessed with the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale

  At baseline and post-intervention at week 6.

• Mean Change from Baseline in Burnout as Assessed with the Maslach Burnout Inventory for Medical Personnel

  At baseline and post-intervention at week 6.

• Mean Change from Baseline in Psychological Well-being as Assessed with the Mental Health Continuum Short Form

  At baseline and post-intervention at week 6.

• Mean Change from Baseline in Sleep Quality as Assessed with the Insomnia Severity Index

  At baseline and post-intervention at week 6.

• Mean Change from Baseline in Inflammation as Assessed by Circulating IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, TNF-alpha, and IFN-gamma and Molecular Analysis of Gene Expression and Signaling of 19 Pro-Inflammatory, 28 Type I Interferon Response, and 3 Antibody Synthesis Genes

  At baseline and post-intervention at week 6.

Other Outcomes (6)

• Mean Change from Baseline in Self-compassion as Assessed with the Self-Compassion Scale

  At baseline, mid-course at week 3, and post-intervention at week 6.

• Mean Change from Baseline in Compassion for Others as Assessed with the Compassion Scale

  At baseline, mid-course at week 3, and post-intervention at week 6.

• Mean Change from Baseline in Positive and Negative Emotions as Assessed with the modified Differential Emotions Scale

  At baseline, mid-course at week 3, and post-intervention at week 6.

Study Arms (2)

Kindness and compassion-based meditation program

EXPERIMENTAL

Half of the participants will be randomly assigned to participate in the meditation intervention. This class will meet virtually once a week for six consecutive weeks, for one hour.

Behavioral: Building Emotional Strength Training

Waitlist control

NO INTERVENTION

Half of the participants will be randomly assigned to the waitlist control. Participants assigned to this condition will have the opportunity to attend the meditation course after data collection is complete.

Interventions

Building Emotional Strength Training BEHAVIORAL

The BEST intervention was designed as a secularized version of the traditional Four Immeasurables practice to promote the distinct emotional states of loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity. Each session provides structured training and exercises in mindfulness, including formal meditation practices and strategies for the daily informal use of mindfulness, as well as opportunity for questions and group discussion. Home practice is a key component of BEST and is particularly important for addressing stress in daily life. Participants will be instructed to practice mindfulness techniques on a daily basis, beginning with five minutes and increasing to 20 minutes, with practice prior to work or other stress-inducing situations.

Kindness and compassion-based meditation program

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of California, Los Angeles: lead

Study Sites (1)

University of California, Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California, 90095, United States

RECRUITING

Study Officials

• Julienne E Bower, Ph.D.

  University of California, Los Angeles, Psychology Department

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

J Richard T Korecki, M.A.

CONTACT

17204950812; tkorecki@g.ucla.edu

Julienne E Bower, Ph.D.

CONTACT

310-825-3004; jbower@ucla.edu

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: OTHER
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Area Chair: Health Psychology

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: December 4, 2025
• First Posted: December 16, 2025
• Study Start: October 10, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): January 1, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): January 1, 2027
• Last Updated: December 16, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-12

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)