Contemplative Training to Bolster University Employees' Mental Health, Well-Being, and Workplace Wellness: A Prospective Observational Study.

Abstract

This prospective, observational study examined the overall effectiveness of three online training programs to attenuate mental health concerns, enhance global well-being, and promote workplace wellness. Employees and spouses at a large R1 university self-selected one or more of three interventions. Two included contemplative training and the comparison program did not, allowing us to evaluate the potential contribution of online contemplative training to well-being programming. Validated self-report measures were used to assess outcomes at baseline and 1-month and 1-year follow-up. Among 471 participants who provided baseline and follow-up data, a statistically significant time effect and small and consistent effect sizes were observed for almost all variables. The findings of this real-world study clearly show that online contemplative training programs can enhance mental health, well-being, and, to a small degree, workplace engagement among university employees.