A Randomized Controlled Trial of a Smartphone-Based Well-Being Training in Public School System Employees During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Whereas the extraordinary pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic on student mental health have received considerable attention, less attention has been placed on educator well-being. School system employees play a vital role in society, and teacher levels of well-being are associated with the educational outcomes of young people. We extend extant research on the prevalence and correlates of educator distress during the pandemic by reporting on a pragmatic randomized wait-list controlled trial (N = 662; 64% teachers) of an innovative mental health promotion strategy implemented during the pandemic; a free 4-week smartphone-based meditation app designed to train key constituents of well-being (Healthy Minds Program [HMP]). Following our preregistered analysis plan and consistent with hypotheses, assignment to the HMP predicted significantly larger reductions in psychological distress, our primary outcome, at post intervention (Cohen's d = - .53, 95% CI [-.69, -.38], p < .001) and at the 3-month follow-up (d = -.33 [-.48, - .18], p < .001). Also consistent with hypotheses, we observed similar indications of immediate and sustained benefit following the HMP on all six preregistered secondary outcomes selected to tap skills targeted in the app (e.g., perseverative thinking, social connection, well-being; absolute ds = .19-.42, all ps < .031 corrected except mindful action at follow-up). We found no evidence for elevated adverse events, and the HMP was equally effective among participants with elevated baseline anxiety and depressive symptoms. These data suggest that the HMP may be an effective and scalable approach to supporting the mental health and well-being of teachers and other school system employees, with implications for employee retention and performance and student outcomes.

Automated summary

While the mental health of students during the COVID-19 pandemic has received considerable attention, this study highlights the importance of addressing the well-being of educators. The study found that a smartphone-based meditation app, the Healthy Minds Program (HMP), significantly reduced psychological distress and improved well-being among teachers. These findings suggest that the HMP could be an effective approach to support the mental health and well-being of educators and have positive implications for student outcomes.