Effects of a Four-Day Mindfulness Intervention on Teachers’ Stress and Affect: A Pilot Study in Eastern China

Stress is becoming very prevalent among teacher groups and problematic for education. Mindfulness training (MT) is a well-supported way to help various populations cope with and reduce stress. In this study, a 4-day intensive mindfulness training that aimed to increase teachers’ emotional health was developed and implemented into the existing post-service education for teachers in eastern China. One hundred and sixty-one teachers voluntarily enrolled in the course and were assigned to either the mindfulness group or the waitlist group. Participants completed measures of mindfulness, positive affect, negative affect, and perceived stress before and after the program. The results showed that mindfulness training had statistically significant positive effects on mindfulness, negative affect, and stress. The present findings indicate that a 4-day intensive mindfulness training is a promising way to decrease teachers’ stress and improve their emotional health. The practical meaning of the short-term intensive mindfulness training program for teachers is discussed. It is easier for teachers to enroll such a short-term training program which may have higher acceptance and feasibility than an 8-week training program in some areas.