38 Chapter 3 able to build supporting relationships with their pupils, experience more positive emotions, possess more mental resilience and experience more job satisfaction (Jennings, 2017). Besides the influence of teachers’ experienced stress on their own well-being and functioning as a teacher, this stress may ultimately affect their pupils as well. Briner and Dewberry (2007) have found indications that the level of well-being of the teacher affected the classroom climate. A physically and socially safe classroom climate is a necessary condition for pupils to be able to learn, and classroom climate directly affects the wellbeing and performance of pupils (Fan et al., 2011; Hamre & Pianta, 2005). In addition to the development of didactic and organizational qualities, the development of a good pedagogical relationship with pupils is therefore of great importance (Roffey, 2012). Providing teachers with means to alleviate stress and improve their mental health and well-being is thus not only in the interest of teachers themselves, but also in the interest of their pupils. Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) A promising method to improve emotion regulation and reduce stress symptoms is Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) as developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn (2004). Kabat-Zinn defines mindfulness as ‘Being aware in a special way: be consciously present in the here and now, without judgment’. Mindfulness can contribute to reducing stress by gaining insight in behavioural patterns, creating emotional awareness and develop regulation of emotions. A meta-analysis of 29 studies on effectiveness of mindfulness interventions in healthy adults showed reduction of experienced stress, depressive and anxiety symptoms and improvements of quality of life (Khoury, 2015). The results of a review and metaanalysis including over 12.000 people with psychiatric disorders such as depression, demonstrated that mindfulness-based interventions were as effective as other evidencebased treatments including cognitive behavioural therapy and anti-depressant medication (Goldberg et al., 2018). An article by Tang et al. (2015) specifically confirmed the positive effect on the regulation of emotions. Other studies showed promising effects of MBSR on worrying, regulation of attention and emotions, personal achievements and empathy (Meikljohn et al., 2012). Although there are promising effects of mindfulness on stress and mental health in diverse populations, only few studies have been conducted to date on the effectiveness of mindfulness in elementary school teachers. Most of these studies have been conducted in the USA. European studies are generally lacking, and no studies on this subject have been conducted in the Netherlands. Jennings and colleagues’ research (2017) in 224 American K-5 grade teachers is the largest RCT to date that examines the effectiveness of a mindfulness-based intervention
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