The Effectiveness of Guided Imagery for a Nonprofit's Employees

FrontLine Service

Status: Completed

Conditions: Focus of Study; Stress

Treatments: Behavioral: Guided Imagery

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; NIH

Identifiers

NCT02191345

MD002265

IRB-2014-743 (Other Identifier)

Details and patient eligibility

About

Primary Aim A. To determine if listening to prerecorded guided imagery 3 times per week for 4 weeks will reduce state anxiety, perceived stress, burnout, compassion fatigue, and vicarious trauma in Fronltine Service staff.

Primary Aim B. To determine if staff will continue to listen to guided imagery after the first 4 weeks of the study is over.

Full description

The purpose of this study is to compare the change in stress levels of employees who listen to prerecorded guided imagery to employees who take breaks, and to determine if employees are likely to adopt prerecorded guided imagery as a self-care tool.

Participants will be randomly assigned to either the guided imagery group or the control group. Members of the control group will be asked to take a 10 minute break 3 times per week for 4 weeks. Members of the guided imagery group will be asked to listen to one prerecorded guided imagery track 3 times per week for 4 weeks. All participants will fill out questionnaires before and after the 4 week period. All participants will fill out a short form before and after listening to each guided imagery, or before and after taking each break.

Phase 2: After phase 1 is complete, all participants will have the option to participate in phase 2 of the study. During phase 2, participants will receive a calendar and put a mark on every day that they listen to a guided imagery track. At the end of 4 weeks, participants will turn in the calendar.

Enrollment: 69 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Staff of a nonprofit who work a minimum of three shifts per week
• Willing and able to use about 8-15 minutes of their lunch hours three times per week for for four weeks for the study

Exclusion criteria

• Staff members will be excluded from the study if they currently listen to guided imagery
• Those currently experiencing drug or alcohol abuse, suicidal ideation, or other serious mental health issue while not under the care of a trained mental health professional will also be excluded

Trial design

Primary purpose: Other

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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69 participants in 2 patient groups

10 minute break

No Intervention group

Description:

Participants asked to take a 10 minute break as usual 3 times per week for 4 weeks

Guided Imagery

Experimental group

Description:

Participants listen to one of 6 pre-recorded guided imagery tracks 3 times per week for 4 weeks

Treatment:

Behavioral: Guided Imagery