Mindfulness-based programs improve psychological flexibility, mental health, well-being and time management in academics

Background: Occupational stress is high in academia, and partly related to time pressure. Mindfulness-based programs are known to be effective in reducing stress and increasing well-being. Recent work suggested that these programs may also improve time management. This study tested the effects of a mindfulness-based program on academics’ psychological flexibility, mental health, well-being and time management. Methods: The study was conducted in a French research department. Participants were offered to join a mindfulness-based program (n = 21) or to be on a wait-list control group (n = 22). Self-reported measures of psychological flexibility, mental health (stress, anxiety and depression symptoms), well-being and time use were collected before and after the 8 weeks program. Results: Results showed that psychological flexibility, mental health, well-being and effective time use significantly increased in the intervention group compared to the control condition. Conclusions: The results suggested that the mindfulness-based programs were effective in improving adaptive functioning, well-being, and optimal time use in academia, thus underlining potential useful perspectives to help academics improve mental health and time management.