A Pilot Effectiveness Trial of an Adapted App-Based Mindfulness Intervention for Pre-Service Teachers

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Mental health concerns in teachers have escalated since the onset of the pandemic, and the
deterioration of mental health can begin as early as the teacher training period. Accessible and scalable
programs that prepare teachers for the stress of the profession are urgently needed to prevent the deterioration
of mental health and its attendant consequences. The goal of this longitudinal project is to test the feasibility
and acceptability, utility, and candidate mechanisms of an accessible, mobile health, mindfulness-based
intervention, the Healthy Minds Program (HMP), to equip teachers in training (“pre-service teachers”; i.e.,
university students majoring in education) with skills necessary to maintain their mental health as they
transition into the classroom. The project addresses three specific aims. Aim 1: a) Assess the feasibility and
acceptability of the HMP for pre-service teachers and b) identify barriers and facilitators to program
acceptability. Aim 2: Determine the utility of the HMP for preventing depression and anxiety (main outcomes)
and turnover intentions (secondary outcome). Aim 3: Examine HMP effects on candidate mechanisms, and the
effect of mechanisms on outcomes. The results of this project will provide critical insight into the potential for
the HMP to scale up for widespread use in pre-service teacher training programs. Importantly, the project will
provide a unique opportunity for undergraduate research at the University of Alabama, and will strengthen the
research environment by involving undergraduate research assistants in each step of the research process.

Grant Number: 1R15MH134225-01A1
NIH Institute/Center: NIH
Principal Investigator: Summer Braun