Using a 10-day mindfulness-based app intervention to reduce burnout in special educators

The field of special education is thought to be a stressful profession due to the complex needs of the students. The current study aimed to assess the effectiveness of a mindfulness-based smartphone application intervention for reducing burnout in special educators. We used the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory scale (with three subscales; personal, work-related and student-related) to measure burnout and the Five Facets of Mindfulness (shortened version) to assess mindfulness. Special educators (n = 29) were assigned to either the experimental group (n = 14) which used the ‘Smiling Mind’ app for guided meditations or the active control group (n = 15) which used ‘Day One’, a note-taking app, for a list-making activity. Both groups used their assigned apps for 10 days. The experimental group showed significant reductions from baseline to post-intervention on the personal burnout subscale while the control group did not, indicating that the intervention affected this domain of burnout. This was maintained at a 2-week follow-up. Mindfulness scores did not significantly increase in the experimental condition, meaning that the mechanism of this decrease in personal burnout is unknown. Further research is needed in order to add to the knowledge on preventing and treating burnout in special educators.