Table 1.
Baseline Characteristics of Participants in a Randomized Controlled Trial of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, 2013–2016
| Total (n = 148) | MBSR (n = 80) | Control (n = 68) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Demographic variables, n (%) | |||
| Female gender | 130 (88%) | 72 (90%) | 58 (85%) |
| Age, mean (SD) | 31.2 (4.6) | 31.4 (4.5) | 31.0 (4.8) |
| Marital status | |||
| Married or cohabiting | 107 (72%) | 54 (68%) | 53 (78%) |
| Partner, not cohabiting | 13 (9%) | 9 (11%) | 4 (6%) |
| Single | 28 (19%) | 17 (21%) | 11 (16%) |
| Children | |||
| One or more children | 37 (25%) | 21 (26%) | 16 (23%) |
| No children | 111 (75%) | 59 (74%) | 52 (77%) |
| Specialty | |||
| Surgical specialties | 17 (11%) | 8 (10%) | 9 (13%) |
| Medical specialties | 56 (38%) | 32 (40%) | 24 (35%) |
| Supportive specialties | 18 (12%) | 7 (9%) | 11 (16%) |
| Psychiatry | 10 (7%) | 6 (7%) | 4 (6%) |
| Primary care specialties | 47 (32%) | 27 (34%) | 20 (30%) |
| Years in training, mean (SD) | 2.8 (1.3) | 2.8 (1.3) | 2.7 (1.4) |
| Working hours including overtime | 46.9 (8.3) | 46.7 (8.8) | 47.0 (7.7) |
| Primary outcome, mean (SD) | |||
| Burnout – Emotional exhaustion (0–48) | 15.6 (7.5) | 16.5 (7.8) | 14.4 (7.1) |
| Secondary outcomes, mean (SD) | |||
| Burnout – Depersonalization (0–30) | 5.2 (3.5) | 5.5 (3.9) | 4.8 (3.0) |
| Burnout – Reduced personal accomplishment (0–42) | 15.2 (5.0) | 15.2 (5.1) | 15.1 (5.0) |
| Worry (16–80) | 46.4 (14.2) | 48.3 (15.2) | 44.0 (12.7) |
| Work–home interference (1-4) | 2.3 (0.4) | 2.4 (0.5) | 2.2 (0.4) * |
| Home–work interference (1-4) | 1.3 (0.4) | 1.4 (0.4) | 1.3 (0.3) * |
| Mindfulness skills (24–120) | 74.6 (11.1) | 74.5 (11.3) | 74.7 (10.9) |
| Self-compassion (1-7) | 3.8 (1.0) | 3.9 (1.0) | 3.8 (1.1) |
| - Positive factor | 4.1 (1.0) | 4.1 (1.0) | 4.1 (1.0) |
| - Negative factor | 4.4 (1.3) | 4.4 (1.3) | 4.5 (1.3) |
| Positive mental health (0–5) | 3.0 (0.7) | 3.0 (0.8) | 3.0 (0.7) |
| Empathy – Perspective-taking (1–7) | 5.7 (0.6) | 5.7 (0.6) | 5.6 (0.7) |
| Empathy – Compassionate care (1–7) | 5.9 (0.7) | 5.9 (0.6) | 5.9 (0.7) |
| Empathy – Standing in the patient’s shoes (1–7) | 5.8 (0.9) | 5.9 (0.9) | 5.8 (0.9) |
| Medical errors (1–5) | 2.3 (0.6) | 2.4 (0.6) | 2.3 (0.5) |
MBSR = Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction
*p < 0.05 for baseline difference between MBSR and control condition (independent samples t tests)