Resilience@Work Mindfulness Program: Results From a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial With First Responders.

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health Psychology
• Mindfulness-Based Interventions
• Resilience Training

Background:

• Workplace resilience training is crucial for long-term worker well-being.
• First responders face high stress and trauma exposure, impacting resilience.
• Proactive resilience training may mitigate negative occupational impacts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate an internet-delivered mindfulness-based resilience training program (Resilience@Work [RAW] Mindfulness Program).
• To assess the program's effectiveness in enhancing resilience among high-risk workers, specifically first responders.

Main Methods:

• A cluster randomized controlled trial (RCT) involving 24 fire and rescue stations.
• 143 full-time firefighters were assigned to either the 6-session RAW Mindfulness Program or a control condition.
• Measurements of adaptive and bounce-back resilience, mindfulness, and acceptance skills were taken at baseline, post-training, and 6-month follow-up.

Main Results:

• The intervention group showed significant improvements in adaptive resilience over time (P=.008).
• No significant difference was found in bounce-back resilience (P=.09).
• Participants completing 5-6 RAW sessions showed the greatest adaptive resilience gains compared to controls (P=.002).

Conclusions:

• Internet-delivered mindfulness-based resilience training effectively enhances adaptive resilience in high-risk workers.
• The RAW Mindfulness Program offers a scalable and practical online solution for workplace resilience.
• This study represents the first workplace trial of an entirely internet-delivered mindfulness-based resilience training program.