A randomized controlled trial of a mindfulness-based intervention in social workers working during the COVID-19 crisis
Open accessAbstract
As one of the frontline professionals during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, social workers can face tremendous pressure, which can lead to mental health problems. The objective of this study was to investigate whether a brief mindfulness-based intervention had short- and middle-term effects on social workers working during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a randomized controlled trial, 49 social workers were assigned to an experimental group (n = 28) or a waitlist control group (n = 21). The intervention was a four-week mindfulness-based program. The outcome variables were measured at pre- and post-test, and at one-month follow-up test. At post-test and follow-up, the workers in the experimental group reported higher mean scores in psychological flexibility and self-compassion and lower mean scores in depression compared to the workers in the waitlist control group. Although the experimental group also showed lower mean scores than the waitlist control group in anxiety and stress at both post-test and follow, the differences were not statistically significant. The findings suggest that a brief mindfulness-based intervention can improve psychological flexibility, self-compassion, and depression in social workers working during the COVID-19 crisis, leading to protected mental health, adding support to continuing development of such efficient mindfulness-based programs. Future studies should use larger samples and examine brief interventions’ working mechanisms. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
6 of 14 cited sources checked · 3 supported · 0 flagged · accuracy not yet measured
- Premisecitation
Online mindfulness-based approaches are successful for enhancing mental health outcomes.
“A significant body of research has shown that online mindfulness-based approaches are also successful for enhancing mental health outcomes (Spijkerman et al. 2016)”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim1 of 1 sources checked- cites Spijkerman et al. 2016 source
- Premisecitation
Brief mindfulness interventions can improve many health-related outcomes, even after a single session and with interventions as short as five minutes.
“The effectiveness of these interventions has been backed by evidence that they can improve numerous health-related outcomes, even after a single session and with interventions as brief as five minutes (Howarth et al. 2019).”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim1 of 1 sources checked- cites Howarth et al. 2019 source
- Findingown data
At the follow-up, the experimental group showed significantly greater psychological flexibility than the waitlist control group.
“the results of follow-up tests also indicated that the experimental group reported better and statistically significant outcomes in psychological flexibility [F(1, 46) = 5.89, p < .05, η2 = .114], self-compassion [F(1, 46) = 10.71, p < .01, η2 = .189], and depression [F(1, 46) = 5.67, p < .05, η2 = .110].”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Findingown data
At the post-test, the experimental group showed significantly greater psychological flexibility than the waitlist control group.
“The results revealed that participants in the experimental group reported statistically significant improved outcomes in psychological flexibility [F(1, 46) = 10.24, p < .01, η2 = .182], self-compassion [F(1, 46) = 12.24, p < .01, η2 = .210], and depression [F(1, 46) = 7.63, p < .01, η2 = .142].”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Findingown data
At the follow-up, the experimental group showed significantly lower depression than the waitlist control group.
“the results of follow-up tests also indicated that the experimental group reported better and statistically significant outcomes in psychological flexibility [F(1, 46) = 5.89, p < .05, η2 = .114], self-compassion [F(1, 46) = 10.71, p < .01, η2 = .189], and depression [F(1, 46) = 5.67, p < .05, η2 = .110].”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
- Findingown data
At the post-test, the experimental group showed significantly greater self-compassion than the waitlist control group.
“The results revealed that participants in the experimental group reported statistically significant improved outcomes in psychological flexibility [F(1, 46) = 10.24, p < .01, η2 = .182], self-compassion [F(1, 46) = 12.24, p < .01, η2 = .210], and depression [F(1, 46) = 7.63, p < .01, η2 = .142].”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Findingown data
At the follow-up, the experimental group showed significantly greater self-compassion than the waitlist control group.
“the results of follow-up tests also indicated that the experimental group reported better and statistically significant outcomes in psychological flexibility [F(1, 46) = 5.89, p < .05, η2 = .114], self-compassion [F(1, 46) = 10.71, p < .01, η2 = .189], and depression [F(1, 46) = 5.67, p < .05, η2 = .110].”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Interpretationown data
The benefits of the short online mindfulness program for social workers lasted at least one month after the intervention ended.
“follow-up analyses indicated that the benefits of the brief online mindfulness intervention for social workers could last at least one month.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Premisecitation
Self-compassion and psychological flexibility are positively correlated with better mental health.
“both have been shown to correlate positively with better mental health (Marshall and Brockman 2016).”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites Marshall and Brockman 2016 source
- Interpretationown data
A short online mindfulness program can enhance self-compassion among social workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“can improve psychological flexibility and self-compassion and decrease depression among social workers working during the Covid-19 pandemic.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Interpretationown data
A four-week mindfulness program can improve mental health indicators among social workers during a global crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
“the results of the current study suggested that a four-week mindfulness intervention could be effective in improving mental health indicators of social workers who are working during a global crisis such as the Covid-19 pandemic.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Interpretationreasoning
The use of convenience sampling in this study limits the external generalizability of its findings.
“the study used convenience sampling with social workers, which led to a concern about external generalizability.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim - Interpretationown data
A short online mindfulness program can reduce depression among social workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“can improve psychological flexibility and self-compassion and decrease depression among social workers working during the Covid-19 pandemic.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Interpretationown data
A short online mindfulness program can enhance psychological flexibility among social workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“can improve psychological flexibility and self-compassion and decrease depression among social workers working during the Covid-19 pandemic.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Interpretationnone given
This study is the first to examine the impact of a brief online mindfulness program on social workers during a global health crisis.
“To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the impact of a brief online mindfulness program on social workers amid a global health crisis.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim - Study design and conductown data
The DASS-21 had alpha coefficients ranging from .84 to .91 in this study.
“In the current study, the alpha coefficients for the three dimensions ranged from .84 to .91.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim - Study design and conductown data
The assumptions for all ANCOVAs were satisfied.
“The assumptions for all the ANCOVAs were satisfied.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
- May combine two claims. 12
- The quote only partly states this claim. 1
- Classified as probably not a substantial claim. 5
May combine two claims.
PremisecitationMindfulness-based interventions can effectively reduce psychological distress (depression, anxiety, and stress) and improve self-compassion and psychological flexibility.
“Research has shown that mindfulness-based interventions can effectively decrease participants’ psychological distress (the parameters such as depression, anxiety, and stress) and improve their self-compassion and psychological flexibility”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim1 of 3 sources checked- cites Vonderlin et al. 2020 source
Table 3 reports reduced perceived stress and subsyndromal symptoms, a category that includes anxiety, depression, and psychological distress, as well as increased compassion. The paper does not report an intervention effect on psychological flexibility; that term appears in a reference, not as an analyzed outcome. The findings also concern workplace programs rather than mindfulness-based interventions in every setting. (LLM, conf=0.91)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measured - cites Dawson et al. 2020 source
- cites Zhou et al. 2020 source
May combine two claims.
PremisecitationMindfulness practices can cultivate self-compassion and psychological flexibility.
“The research supported that mindfulness practices can cultivate self-compassion and psychological flexibility (Marais et al. 2020; Wasson et al. 2020).”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim2 of 2 sources checked- cites Marais et al. 2020 source
The Discussion reports that the mindfulness-program group improved in psychological flexibility compared with the wait-list control group. The paper does not report an effect on self-compassion; a search for that term found no supporting passage in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.86)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measured - cites Wasson et al. 2020 source
The Discussion reports that mindfulness-based interventions improved self-compassion in health care students and professionals. The introductory passage describes cultivating “response flexibility” as a component of these interventions, but the paper does not establish psychological flexibility as an outcome. (LLM, conf=0.82)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
May combine two claims.
PremisecitationThe Turkish version of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 is valid and reliable.
“The Turkish version of the scale has demonstrated to be valid and reliable (Sariçam 2018).”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim1 of 1 sources checked- cites Sariçam 2018 source
May combine two claims.
Findingown dataAt the follow-up, the experimental group had lower stress than the waitlist control group, but this difference was not statistically significant.
“although the experimental group had lower mean scores in anxiety and stress, the differences were not statistically significant (p > .05; see Table 1).”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimMay combine two claims.
Findingown dataAt the post-test, the experimental group had lower stress than the waitlist control group, but this difference was not statistically significant.
“compared to the waitlist control group, the experimental group reported lower anxiety and stress levels in post-tests; however, the differences were not statistically significant (p > .05).”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claimMay combine two claims.
Findingown dataAt the follow-up, the experimental group had lower anxiety than the waitlist control group, but this difference was not statistically significant.
“although the experimental group had lower mean scores in anxiety and stress, the differences were not statistically significant (p > .05; see Table 1).”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimThe quote only partly states this claim.
Findingown dataAt the post-test, the experimental group showed significantly lower depression than the waitlist control group.
“The results revealed that participants in the experimental group reported statistically significant improved outcomes in psychological flexibility [F(1, 46) = 10.24, p < .01, η2 = .182], self-compassion [F(1, 46) = 12.24, p < .01, η2 = .210], and depression [F(1, 46) = 7.63, p < .01, η2 = .142].”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claimMay combine two claims.
Findingown dataAt the post-test, the experimental group had lower anxiety than the waitlist control group, but this difference was not statistically significant.
“compared to the waitlist control group, the experimental group reported lower anxiety and stress levels in post-tests; however, the differences were not statistically significant (p > .05).”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claimProbably not a substantial claim: may not pass S4 (based). May combine two claims.
InterpretationreasoningBrief mindfulness programs can be efficient ways to protect social workers' mental health not only during the COVID-19 pandemic but also in other emergencies such as earthquakes or wars.
“such interventions can be efficient ways of protecting social workers’ mental health, not only in the Covid-19 pandemic but also in other emergencies such as earthquakes or wars”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimMay combine two claims.
PremisecitationThe Turkish version of the Self-Compassion Scale is reliable and valid.
“The studies that investigated psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the SCS have reported that the scale is reliable and valid (Deniz et al. 2008).”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites Deniz et al. 2008 source
Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).
Study design and conductown dataThe AAQ-II had alpha coefficients ranging from .88 to .93 in this study.
“In the current study, the alpha coefficients for the scale ranged from .88 to .93.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimMay combine two claims.
Study design and conductown dataBaseline measures showed no statistical difference between the experimental and control groups, supporting the validity of randomization.
“In the baseline measures (pre-tests), there was no statistical difference between the experimental and control groups, supporting the validity of randomization.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claimProbably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).
Study design and conductown dataThe SCS had alpha coefficients ranging from .85 to .92 in this study.
“In the current study, the alpha coefficients for the overall scale ranged from .85 to .92.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimProbably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).
Study design and conductown dataThere was differential attrition: two participants from the experimental group and eight from the control group dropped out.
“two participants from the experimental group did not continue participating in the program, and eight participants from the control group did not fill the post- and follow-up tests; consequently, they dropped out.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimMay combine two claims.
PremisecitationSocial workers already faced higher levels of work stress before the COVID-19 pandemic, which could lead to physical and mental health issues.
“social workers, who were already facing higher levels of work stress, even before the COVID-19 pandemic, that could lead to both physical and mental health issues (Coyle et al. 2005; Kagan and Itzick 2019; Stanley et al. 2006; Storey and Billingham 2001; Grise-Owens 2016).”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 3 sources checkedMay combine two claims.
PremisecitationThe Turkish version of the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II is a valid and reliable measure.
“The Turkish version of the AAQ-II has been found to be a valid and reliable measure (Yavuz et al. 2016).”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites Yavuz et al. 2016 source
Classified as probably not a substantial claim.
Study design and conductown dataParticipants were randomly allocated to the experimental and control groups.
“Then, the author randomly allocated the participants to two WhatsApp (a messaging app) groups, one as the experimental group and the other as the control group.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
Statistics recomputed
Every reported test result, recomputed from its test statistic and degrees of freedom. A result shows as not adding up only once an independent check has confirmed it.
- ConsistentF(1, 46) = 10.24reported p < .01 · recomputed p = .002
“F(1, 46) = 10.24, p < .01”
- ConsistentF(1, 46) = 12.24reported p < .01 · recomputed p = .001
“F(1, 46) = 12.24, p < .01”
- ConsistentF(1, 46) = 7.63reported p < .01 · recomputed p = .008
“F(1, 46) = 7.63, p < .01”
- ConsistentF(1, 46) = 5.89reported p < .05 · recomputed p = .019
“F(1, 46) = 5.89, p < .05”
- ConsistentF(1, 46) = 10.71reported p < .01 · recomputed p = .002
“F(1, 46) = 10.71, p < .01”
- ConsistentF(1, 46) = 5.67reported p < .05 · recomputed p = .021
“F(1, 46) = 5.67, p < .05”
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
Self-check results appear here once an independent check has confirmed them.
Cites
Lovibond, P. F., & Lovibond, S. H. (1995) · Behaviour Research and Therapy · doi:10.1016/0005-7967(94)00075-u · Cited by 14,523 · cited 1× · see citing works
“The Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21; Lovibond and Lovibond 1995) was used to assess the occurrence of symptoms related to depression, anxiety, and stress over the previous two weeks.”
MethodSocial Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches
Djamba, Y. K., & Neuman, W. L. (2002) · Teaching Sociology · doi:10.2307/3211488 · Cited by 8,853 · see citing works
Mindfulness-based interventions in context: Past, present, and future
Kabat-Zinn, J. (2003) · Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice · doi:10.1093/clipsy.bpg016 · Cited by 8,615 · cited 2× · see citing works
“Mindfulness-based interventions such as mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR; Kabat-Zinn 2003) and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT; Segal et al. 2013) aim to develop mindfulness in their participants through an eight-week schedule containing a variety of practices such as sitting…”
BackgroundMethodSocial Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches
Neuman, W. L. (1991) · Cited by 7,056 · see citing works
Acceptance and commitment therapy: model, processes and outcomes
Hayes, S. C., Luoma, J. B., Bond, F. W., Masuda, A., & Lillis, J. (2006) · Behaviour Research and Therapy · doi:10.1016/j.brat.2005.06.006 · Cited by 6,587 · see citing works
The Development and Validation of a Scale to Measure Self-Compassion
NEFF, K. D. (2003) · Self and Identity · doi:10.1080/15298860309027 · Cited by 6,436 · see citing works
Self-Compassion: An Alternative Conceptualization of a Healthy Attitude Toward Oneself
NEFF, K. (2003) · Self and Identity · doi:10.1080/15298860309032 · Cited by 5,440 · see citing works
Bond, F. W., Hayes, S. C., Baer, R. A., Carpenter, K. M., Guenole, N., Orcutt, H. K., Waltz, T., & Zettle, R. D. (2011) · Behavior Therapy · doi:10.1016/j.beth.2011.03.007 · Cited by 3,950 · see citing works
COVID-19 pandemic and mental health consequences: Systematic review of the current evidence
Vindegaard, N., & Benros, M. E. (2020) · Brain, Behavior, and Immunity · doi:10.1016/j.bbi.2020.05.048 · Cited by 3,221 · see citing works
COVID-19 outbreak: Migration, effects on society, global environment and prevention
Chakraborty, I., & Maity, P. (2020) · The Science of The Total Environment · doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138882 · Cited by 1,801 · see citing works
Spijkerman, M. P. J., Pots, W. T. M., & Bohlmeijer, E. T. (2016) · Clinical Psychology Review · doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2016.03.009 · Cited by 975 · see citing works
Effects of COVID-19 pandemic in daily life
Haleem, A., Javaid, M., & Vaishya, R. (2020) · Current Medicine Research and Practice · doi:10.1016/j.cmrp.2020.03.011 · Cited by 929 · see citing works
The Self-Compassion Scale is a Valid and Theoretically Coherent Measure of Self-Compassion
Neff, K. D. (2016) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-015-0479-3 · Cited by 805 · cited 1× · see citing works
“According to Neff (2016), researchers may use scores from sub-scales or the overall scale, depending on their interests.”
MethodInwood, E., & Ferrari, M. (2018) · Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being · doi:10.1111/aphw.12127 · Cited by 483 · see citing works
(2013) · Cited by 481 · see citing works
SARIÇAM, H. (2018) · Journal of Cognitive-Behavioral Psychotherapy and Research · doi:10.5455/jcbpr.274847 · Cited by 344 · see citing works
Dawson, A. F., Brown, W. W., Anderson, J., Datta, B., Donald, J. N., Hong, K., Allan, S., Mole, T. B., Jones, P. B., & Galante, J. (2020) · Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being · doi:10.1111/aphw.12188 · Cited by 312 · see citing works
THE VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY OF THE TURKISH VERSION OF THE SELF-COMPASSION SCALE
Deniz, M. E., Kesici, Ş., & Sümer, A. S. (2008) · Social Behavior and Personality: an international journal · doi:10.2224/sbp.2008.36.9.1151 · Cited by 273 · see citing works
Mindfulness-Based Programs in the Workplace: a Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
Vonderlin, R., Biermann, M., Bohus, M., & Lyssenko, L. (2020) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-020-01328-3 · Cited by 259 · see citing works
Effects of Brief Mindfulness-Based Interventions on Health-Related Outcomes: a Systematic Review
Howarth, A., Smith, J. G., Perkins-Porras, L., & Ussher, M. (2019) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-019-01163-1 · Cited by 219 · see citing works
Matiz, A., Fabbro, F., Paschetto, A., Cantone, D., Paolone, A. R., & Crescentini, C. (2020) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph17186450 · Cited by 204 · see citing works
The Relationships Between Psychological Flexibility, Self-Compassion, and Emotional Well-Being
Marshall, E.-J., & Brockman, R. N. (2016) · Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy · doi:10.1891/0889-8391.30.1.60 · Cited by 184 · see citing works
Mindfulness, Self-Care, and Wellness in Social Work: Effects of Contemplative Training
McGarrigle, T., & Walsh, C. A. (2011) · Journal of Religion & Spirituality in Social Work: Social Thought · doi:10.1080/15426432.2011.587384 · Cited by 159 · see citing works
Yavuz, F., Ulusoy, S., Iskin, M., Esen, F. B., Burhan, H. S., Karadere, M. E., & Yavuz, N. (2016) · Klinik Psikofarmakoloji Bülteni-Bulletin of Clinical Psychopharmacology · doi:10.5455/bcp.20160223124107 · Cited by 152 · see citing works
Amerio, A., Bianchi, D., Santi, F., Costantini, L., Odone, A., Signorelli, C., Costanza, A., Serafini, G., Amore, M., & Aguglia, A. (2020) · Acta bio-medica dell'Ateneo parmense/Acta biomedica · doi:10.23750/abm.v91i2.9619 · Cited by 146 · see citing works
A systematic review of stress among mental health social workers
Coyle, D., Edwards, D., Hannigan, B., Fothergill, A., & Burnard, P. (2005) · International Social Work · doi:10.1177/0020872805050492 · Cited by 135 · see citing works
Fledderus, M., Bohlmeijer, E. T., Fox, J.-P., Schreurs, K. M. G., & Spinhoven, P. (2013) · Behaviour Research and Therapy · doi:10.1016/j.brat.2012.11.007 · Cited by 133 · see citing works
A Pilot Evaluation of a Mindful Self-care and Resiliency (MSCR) Intervention for Nurses
Craigie, M., Slatyer, S., Hegney, D., Osseiran-Moisson, R., Gentry, E., Davis, S., Dolan, T., & Rees, C. (2016) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-016-0516-x · Cited by 122 · see citing works
Demarzo, M., Montero-Marin, J., Puebla-Guedea, M., Navarro-Gil, M., Herrera-Mercadal, P., Moreno-González, S., Calvo-Carrión, S., Bafaluy-Franch, L., & Garcia-Campayo, J. (2017) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01343 · Cited by 121 · cited 1× · see citing works
“…MBSR and MBCT) can bring, many have argued the length of such programs (eight weekly two-hour sessions plus 20 to 45 min of homework) that needs a high-level commitment can be tiresome for non-clinical participants, resulting in refusal of participation (Demarzo et al. 2017; Craigie et al. 2016).”
BackgroundLewis, M. L., & King, D. M. (2019) · Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment · doi:10.1080/10911359.2018.1482482 · Cited by 117 · see citing works
Self–care practices among social workers: do they predict job satisfaction and turnover intention?
Acker, G. M. (2018) · Social Work in Mental Health · doi:10.1080/15332985.2018.1494082 · Cited by 113 · cited 1× · see citing works
“…Aydin University, Istanbul, Turkey Research has supported that applying self-care practices by social workers will bring benefits for the worker, client, organizations, and consequently for the profession (Cuartero and Campos-Vidal 2019; Willis and Molina 2018; Acker 2018; Lewis and King 2019).”
BackgroundWasson, R. S., Barratt, C., & O’Brien, W. H. (2020) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-020-01342-5 · Cited by 109 · see citing works
Hughes, M., Brown, S. L., Campbell, S., Dandy, S., & Cherry, M. G. (2021) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-021-01602-y · Cited by 88 · see citing works
Zhou, X., Guo, J., Lu, G., Chen, C., Xie, Z., Liu, J., & Zhang, C. (2020) · Psychiatry Research · doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113002 · Cited by 84 · see citing works
Mindfulness as a way to cope with COVID‐19‐related stress and anxiety.
Weis, R., Ray, S. D., & Cohen, T. A. (2021) · Counselling and Psychotherapy Research · doi:10.1002/capr.12375 · Cited by 82 · see citing works
Self-Care Practice in Social Work Education: A Systematic Review of Interventions
Griffiths, A., Royse, D. D., Murphy, A., & Starks, S. H. (2019) · Journal of Social Work Education · doi:10.1080/10437797.2018.1491358 · Cited by 74 · see citing works
Depression in the Profession: Social Workers' Experiences and Perceptions
Stanley, N., Manthorpe, J., & White, M. (2006) · British Journal of Social Work · doi:10.1093/bjsw/bcl058 · Cited by 62 · see citing works
The A-to-Z Self-Care Handbook for Social Workers and Other Helping Professionals
Grise-Owens, E. (2016) · Cited by 62 · see citing works
Cuartero, M., & Campos-Vidal, J. F. (2019) · Social work in health care · doi:10.1080/00981389.2018.1558164 · Cited by 60 · see citing works
Marais, G. A. B., Lantheaume, S., Fiault, R., & Shankland, R. (2020) · European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education · doi:10.3390/ejihpe10040073 · Cited by 58 · see citing works
Online Mindfulness May Target Psychological Distress and Mental Health during COVID-19
Farris, S. R., Grazzi, L., Holley, M., Dorsett, A., Xing, K., Pierce, C. R., Estave, P. M., O’Connell, N., & Wells, R. E. (2021) · Global Advances in Health and Medicine · doi:10.1177/21649561211002461 · Cited by 53 · see citing works
Occupational stress and social work
Storey, J., & Billingham, J. (2001) · Social Work Education · doi:10.1080/02615470120089843a · Cited by 52 · see citing works
Zhang, H., Zhang, A., Liu, C., Xiao, J., & Wang, K. (2021) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-021-01618-4 · Cited by 50 · see citing works
Work-related factors associated with psychological distress among social workers
Kagan, M., & Itzick, M. (2019) · European Journal of Social Work · doi:10.1080/13691457.2017.1357021 · Cited by 44 · see citing works
Gockel, A., & Deng, X. (2016) · Journal of Religion & Spirituality in Social Work: Social Thought · doi:10.1080/15426432.2016.1187106 · Cited by 43 · see citing works
Gu, J., Cavanagh, K., & Strauss, C. (2018) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-017-0867-y · Cited by 40 · see citing works
Journal of Cognitive-Behavioral Psychotherapy and Research
(2024) · Journal of Cognitive-Behavioral Psychotherapy and Research · doi:10.5455/jcbpr · Cited by 36 · see citing works
Lim, J., Leow, Z., Ong, J., Pang, L.-S., & Lim, E. (2020) · doi:10.2196/preprints.21757 · Cited by 33 · see citing works
Self-Care and the Social Worker: Taking Our Place in the Code
Willis, N., & Molina, V. (2018) · Social Work · doi:10.1093/sw/swy049 · Cited by 30 · see citing works
McCusker, P. (2022) · The British Journal of Social Work · doi:10.1093/bjsw/bcaa246 · Cited by 21 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Mindfulness has recently been one of the well-known evidence-based practices and proposed by studies (e.g. McGarrigle and Walsh 2011; Hick 2008; Gockel and Deng 2016; McCusker 2021) to promote self-care effectively among social workers.”
BackgroundA Personal Journey to Mindfulness: Implications for Social Work Practice
Hick, S. F. (2008) · Reflections: Narratives of Professional Helping · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Preparedness of Healthcare Workers towards Handling COVID-19 Outbreak in the Gambia
Jatta, J. W., Ouédraogo, J. C. R. P., Sanyang, Y., et al. (2021) · SciMedicine Journal · doi:10.28991/scimedj-2021-03-si-5 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
A review of Online Psychological Interventions
Zamorano, A. C., Consejero, E. M., Ortega, F. H., Jiménez, I. M., & Mera, C. (2017) · Ninth International Conference on Technological Ecosystems for Enhancing Multiculturality (TEEM'21) · doi:10.1145/3144826.3145410 · Cited by 2 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Due to strict social distancing measures during the Covid19 pandemic, online mental health interventions as an efficient means of delivering the interventions (Zamorano et al. 2017) have been popular among researchers.”
Background
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Witarto, B. S., Visuddho, V., Witarto, A. P., Bestari, D., Sawitri, B., Melapi, T. A. S., & Wungu, C. D. K. (2022) · PLOS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0274177 · Cited by 89 · see citing works
“Moreover, there was a difference in the length of the intervention between the two included studies [33, 36].”
MethodResultZhong, S., Yang, X.-H., Pan, Z., Fan, Y., Chen, Y., Yu, X., & Zhou, L. (2023) · JMIR Public Health and Surveillance · doi:10.2196/43730 · Cited by 64 · see citing works
“For the meta-analysis, we evaluated the risk of bias for the included RCTs, and the results are presented in Multimedia Appendix 6 [22,24,29,32,34,43,44,47-49, 62, 67, 69,”
BackgroundMethodYe, Z., Li, W., & Zhu, R. (2022) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2022.08.023 · Cited by 48 · see citing works
López‐Del‐Hoyo, Y., Fernández‐Martínez, S., Pérez‐Aranda, A., Barceló‐Soler, A., Bani, M., Russo, S., Urcola‐Pardo, F., Strepparava, M. G., & García‐Campayo, J. (2023) · Journal of Clinical Nursing · doi:10.1111/jocn.16634 · Cited by 27 · see citing works
A randomised trial of Mindfulness-based Social Work and Self-Care with social workers
Maddock, A., McGuigan, K., & McCusker, P. (2023) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-023-04410-w · Cited by 27 · see citing works
“This may also account for why it appears to have been more effective than the MBP in Hosseinzadeh Asl (2021). The moderate reduction in anxiety and the large reductions in depression and stress due to MBSWSC participation is line with a meta-analysis of 209 studies conducted by Khoury et al. (2013) which have found th…”
BackgroundResultInfluentialKolaas, K., Berman, A. H., Hedman‐Lagerlöf, E., Lindsäter, E., Hybelius, J., & Axelsson, E. (2024) · BMJ Open · doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2023-075796 · Cited by 27 · see citing works
Maddock, A., McGuigan, K., & McCusker, P. (2024) · The British Journal of Social Work · doi:10.1093/bjsw/bcae011 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
“However, there remains a lack of evidence on the effectiveness of briefer MBPs (Hosseinzadeh Asl, 2022), which may be more suitable for workplace settings with busy professionals, such as social work, due to reduced time commitments for participants (Craigie et al. , 2016; Isbel et al. , 2020).”
BackgroundDai, Z., Wang, H., Xiao, W., Huang, Y., Si, M., Fu, J., Xu, C., Jia, M., Leng, Z., Cui, D., et al. (2022) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2022.09.062 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
“Another study revealed that mindfulness-based intervention delivered via mobile phones could effectively reduce depressive symptoms among social workers during the pandemic (Hosseinzadeh Asl, 2021).”
He, M., Li, Y., Ju, R., Liu, S., Hofmann, S. G., & Liu, X. (2023) · Psychotherapy Research · doi:10.1080/10503307.2023.2232528 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
“In fact, researches suggested that MBIs can reduce emotional distress after just three (Cheung et al., 2022) or four weeks (Hosseinzadeh Asl, 2022) of practice.”
BackgroundWhat has been done for social workers’ self-care practice? A systematic review of interventions
Jian, M., Wang, M., Du, Y., & Yan, H. (2024) · International Social Work · doi:10.1177/00208728241237938 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
“…effects of working with traumatized populations and improve self-compassion to combat their fatigue in high-stress environments (Cuartero and Campos-Vidal, 2019; Hosseinzadeh Asl, 2022; Kinman and Grant, 2017; Maddock and McCusker, 2022b; Shepherd and Newell, 2020; Willis and Molina, 2019).”
InfluentialZuberbühler, J. P., Pietrantoni, L., Mazzetti, G., Angelis, M. D., Giusino, D., Román-Niaves, M. S., Guglielmi, D., & Salanova, M. (2025) · International Journal of Mental Health Systems · doi:10.1186/s13033-024-00655-5 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
Neil‐Sztramko, S., Belita, E., Hopkins, S., Sherifali, D., Anderson, L. N., Apatu, E., Kapiriri, L., Tarride, J. E., Bellefleur, O., Kaasalainen, S., et al. (2023) · Frontiers in Public Health · doi:10.3389/fpubh.2023.1282296 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
Moskowitz, J. T., Jackson, K., Cummings, P., Addington, E. L., Freedman, M. E., Bannon, J., Lee, C., Vu, T. T., Wallia, A., Hirschhorn, L. R., et al. (2024) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0305172 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
Self-care interventions for social workers in China: a scoping review
Jian, M., Wu, F., & Du, Y. (2023) · Asia Pacific Journal of Social Work and Development · doi:10.1080/02185385.2023.2255331 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
“Considering time-consuming and distance barriers, online interventions became a new choice without harming the effectiveness of service delivery (Hosseinzadeh Asl, 2022; Ma & Lyu, 2021; Maddock & McCusker, 2022).”
Vega-Campos, M., Pérez-Pérez, M., & Sarabia‐Cobo, C. (2025) · SAGE Open · doi:10.1177/21582440251320192 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
“Step (i.e., Hosseinzadeh Asl, 2022; Joyce et al., 2018), as well as those that examine the effects of ACT therapy outside of a business context—such as on students (i.e., Pang et al., 2022), consumers (i.e., Brandon et al., 2021), or clinical patients (i.e., Arch et al., 2019; Skarpsno et al.,…”
Beer, O. W. J., McInroy, L. B., Hefner, J. L., & Beer, S. (2024) · Journal of Public Child Welfare · doi:10.1080/15548732.2024.2312838 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
O'Donnell, K., Dunbar, M., & Speelman, D. L. (2023) · Cureus · doi:10.7759/cureus.42432 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Gardiner, P. M., Pérez‐Aranda, A., Bell, N., Clark, D. R., Schuman‐Olivier, Z., & Lin, E. H. B. (2024) · Journal of Continuing Education in the Health Professions · doi:10.1097/ceh.0000000000000574 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Sessions, L., Robertson, N., Jones, C. R., & Welham, A. (2024) · Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work · doi:10.1080/26408066.2024.2439267 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Asl, N. R. H., & EMAMVIRDI, R. (2024) · Journal of Family Violence · doi:10.1007/s10896-024-00734-8 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
“Several studies have shown that brief versions are also effective in improving health outcomes (e.g., Hosseinzadeh Asl, 2022; Howarth et al., 2019 ).”
Self-citationSocial workers’ views and experiences of self-care practices: a qualitative interview study
Jian, M., McCusker, P., Mitchell, M., Roesch‐Marsh, A., Rose, S. V., & Petrova, L. (2025) · Frontiers in Public Health · doi:10.3389/fpubh.2025.1585900 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
“Moreover, this participant highlighted the systemic pressures that exacerbate this paradox and organizational expectations to make more changes: The system and the organization have a responsibility to try and make this job less stressful for people and more manageable (Participant 9).”
Xu, F., Zhu, W., Chen, Q., & Tang, Y. (2023) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-023-05188-7 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
“Knowing when it's time to take a break”: Nursing home social workers’ coping during COVID-19
Fields, N. L., Schuman, D. L., Miller, V. J., Kunz-Lomelin, A., Kusmaul, N., & Anderson, K. A. (2023) · Aging and Health Research · doi:10.1016/j.ahr.2023.100144 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
“These findings align with other research focusing on mindfulness to improve self-compassion and decrease depression among SWs during COVID-19 [13].”
Konstantinou, P., Theofanous, V., Karekla, M., & Kassianos, A. P. (2024) · Human Resources for Health · doi:10.1186/s12960-024-00919-8 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Mindfulness sebagai Intervensi: Tinjauan Cakupan pada Pekerja Sosial
Hutapea, B., Tsabita, A., Chandra, A., Derianti, V., Halim, J., & Haryani, R. R. N. D. (2023) · Jurnal Pendidikan Sains Sosial dan Agama · doi:10.53565/pssa.v8i2.691 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Melvin, A., Canning, C., Chowdhury, F., Hunter, S., & Kim, S. (2023) · Frontiers in Public Health · doi:10.3389/fpubh.2023.1278725 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Wang, Q., Li, J., Zhou, X., Shen, L., Zhao, J., & Gao, H. (2025) · Journal of Social Work · doi:10.1177/14680173251318534 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Krishnan, S., & Sethuramalingam, V. (2025) · Journal of Social Work Practice · doi:10.1080/02650533.2025.2551539 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
“Hosseinzadeh Asl (2022) carried out a study, which was essentially a randomised controlled trial that involved a total of 49 social workers divided into two groups.”
Lee, T. Y., Li, P.-S., Yu, J. H., Lin, W., Hsu, T.-C., & Hsieh, C. (2022) · doi:10.2196/preprints.44118
Salman, Ö., & Reha, N. (2025) · Toplum ve sosyal hizmet(Online)/Toplum ve sosyal hizmet · doi:10.33417/tsh.1468954
Travma Bilgili Bakım ve Uygulamalarında Üçüncü Kuşak Klinik Yaklaşımların Kullanımı
Pak, M. (2026) · Toplum ve sosyal hizmet(Online)/Toplum ve sosyal hizmet · doi:10.33417/tsh.1727473
Ip, V., Jegatheeswaran, S., Cheema, A. A., FitzGerald, M., Wakif, Z., Thind, J. K., Kyte, S., Yung, S., Raiker, R., Ansar, M. A., et al. (2026) · Cognitive Behaviour Therapy · doi:10.1080/16506073.2026.2623505
Crivoi, E. S., Alecu, L., (Gaba), D. N., Rentea, G. C., Mihai, A., Pop, O., Mustățea, A.-M., Luca, A., Manthorpe, J., & Lazăr, F. (2026) · The British Journal of Social Work · doi:10.1093/bjsw/bcag010
Spiritual Social Work with Advaita Philosophy: Client-Social Worker Interventions in Social Work
Prakash, S., Roy, K., & Goel, M. (2026) · Journal of Dharma Studies · doi:10.1007/s42240-026-00273-z
“The integration of Eastern philosophical traditions into Western therapeutic approaches has gained momentum in recent decades, with mindfulness-based interventions derived from Buddhist practices now widely accepted in mainstream clinical settings (Germer & Siegel, 2012 ; Hosseinzadeh Asl, 2022 ).”
- Authors
- Hosseinzadeh Asl, N. R.
- Venue
- Current Psychology
- Published
- 2021-08-09
- Volume
- 41
- Issue
- 11
- Pages
- 8192-8199
- ISSN
- 1046-1310 (ISSN-L)
- 1936-4733
- PMC
- PMC8352152
- OpenAlex
- W3191728039
- Semantic Scholar
- 24c4d731038f4ac9ab6abb1977f701381e9b8093
- Cited by
- 34
- References
- 53
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 11 · 2022: 4
- FWCI
- 4.09
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Current Psychology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › COVID-19 and Mental Health
- Social Sciences › Public Administration › Social Work Education and Practice
- Keywords
- mindfulness-based interventions, social workers, COVID-19 pandemic, occupational stress, psychological flexibility, self-compassion, depression, anxiety, stress, mental health, frontline workers
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Claims read by deepseek-v4.1-flash under definition version 3 (extract-v3) on 2026-09-28.
Classified by jev-1.13-20260917 (gold-guideline-v0.2) on 2026-09-28.
Cited sources are checked by gpt-6-sol.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review