Selah Trial of Stress Interventions for Clergy: Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, Daily Examen, and Stress Inoculation

Summary

Certain populations may be particularly susceptible to the adverse effects of chronic stress, particularly chronic work-related stress. One such population is that of clergy doing ministry work. Clergy who are interested in stress reduction will choose one of three interventions: Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, the Daily Examen, or a set of stress inoculation and breathing exercises called Stress Proofing. The study investigators will examine changes in heart rate variability and self-reported stress symptoms over time among clergy who have participated in one of the three interventions, compared to clergy who have not yet received one of the interventions. The aim of this study is to determine trends in stress outcomes for each of the three interventions. The investigators hypothesize that participation in each intervention will be associated with an improvement in stress outcomes compared to those who have not yet received an intervention.

Conditions

• Occupational Stress

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction

Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) teaches several different kinds of meditation. MBSR is offered as an online course through Duke Integrative Medicine and is based on the national model first developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn at the University of Massachusetts. It includes exercises in awareness of breath, body scans, walking meditation, "choiceless" open awareness, Loving Kindness Meditation, and bringing awareness to the present moment. The MBSR Distance Learning course consists of 8 weekly sessions via video conference and includes meditation instruction, periods of guided practice, and group discussion.

BEHAVIORAL

Daily Examen spiritual practice

The Daily Examen is a simple but powerful prayer used by Jesuits every day. It takes only 10-15 minutes and can be used to reflect on positive emotions, move past negative emotions, and align one's work with God's work. The Examen directs the person praying to focus on a five-step routine: 1. Become aware of God's presence; 2. Give thanks to God for everything in your life; 3. Review the events of the day guided by the Holy Spirit; 4. Look at what went well or wrong in the past day; if at fault, ask God for forgiveness; and 5. Look toward tomorrow - what one thing should you do? Listen to what God is telling you.

BEHAVIORAL

Stress inoculation combination

This intervention includes a combination of stress inoculation and general stress reduction activities focused on physiology, with exercises that bypass the brain and work directly on the body to mitigate the symptoms of stress. This system is based on Stress Inoculation Training, which uses breathing to prepare people in advance for stressful episodes and recovery skills for following such episodes. The techniques include a variety of breathing, blood flow, and tension control methods, as well as ways to conduct deep tissue massage on oneself to release muscle tension. The awareness aspect involves understanding stress biology and learning to spot the symptoms of stress in oneself and others.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Duke University

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Rae Jean Proeschold-Bell, PhD · Duke University

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2020-01-06

Primary Completion

2021-08-05

Completion

2021-10-07

Countries

• United States

Study Locations