ABSTRACT Background: In the Netherlands, more than half of the teachers working in primary education experience high levels of work stress. Compared to other professions, teachers are more likely to drop out from work and develop mental illnesses. Almost one in five even choose a new profession within five years after starting as a teacher. This indicates an urgent need for interventions to reduce stress levels in teachers. However, few evidencebased effective interventions targeting stress and work-related problems in the primary educational system are available. Aim: In the current paper we describe the protocol for a randomized controlled study (RCT) comparing an 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) with a wait list control condition in elementary school teachers. We hypothesize that teachers who participate in the MBSR program will report less stress (primary outcome) than those in the control group at post-test and at 3-months follow-up. We also expect a decrease in teachers’ absenteeism and improvements of mental health, teacher skills, classroom climate quality, and the pupil-teacher relationship (secondary outcomes). Finally, we hypothesize that self-compassion, mindfulness skills and emotion regulation skills could mediate effects. Methods/design: A mixed-method study will be conducted among N=155 Dutch elementary school teachers (grade 1 to 6). The quantitative study will be an RCT, in which teachers will be randomly allocated to the MBSR or waiting list control condition. Trial participants will not be made actively aware of their condition. The data analysts will be blinded. Online questionnaires will be sent to teachers before and after the MBSR program, and at 3-month follow-up. Information about absenteeism will be collected. In the qualitative part of the study we will interview teachers to examine their perceived effects of MBSR on their teaching skills, the classroom climate quality and the pupilteacher relationship. Discussion: This protocol paper describes a mixed-method study design with an RCT and a qualitative evaluation to evaluate an MBSR program on perceived stress among elementary school teachers. If the MBSR program proves to be effective, it could be implemented as a program to reduce stress and improve mental health and teaching outcomes in elementary school teachers.
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