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Completed

NCT Number: NCT07502092

Mindfulness in Motion Targeted to Sustaining the Mental and Physical Resilience of First Responders

High levels of chronic and recurrent workplace stress can profoundly impact the physical, mental, and emotional health of first responders. A multi-modal evidence-based mindfulness intervention was delivered to cohorts of first responders to evaluate effects on perceived stress, resilience, work engagement, and musculoskeletal pain.

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Key information

Conditions

Stress Behavior Behavioral Symptoms First Responders Musculoskeletal Discomfort Occupational Diseases Occupational Stress Personal Satisfaction Psychological Well-Being Resilience and Mental Health of First Responders Stress, Psychological Work Engagement

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

The Ohio State University

Columbus, Ohio, 43210, United States

About this study

The occupational stress experienced by first responders can result in decreased quality and safety of patient care, increased risk of first responder injury, and decreased organizational performance. Worksite mindfulness interventions have been shown to support decreases in occupational stress, as well as improved resilience and work engagement for other high stress professions. Mindfulness in Motion (MIM), an evidence-based mindfulness intervention, was adapted to target the specific occupational needs of first responders in a format that could be easily integrated into their workdays. Three cohorts of first responders received eight weekly synchronous mindfulness sessions with full access to the companion smartphone MIM app for six months after the core eight-week sessions were completed. Adaptations to the MIM content and experiential practices were informed by first responder feedback prior to the study. Self-report surveys to assess perceived stress, resilience, work engagement, and musculoskeletal pain were completed by first responder participants before participation in the intervention, at the end of the eight week intervention, and again six months after the intervention was completed.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Actively working as a community First Responder
  • 18 years or older
  • Ability to understand and read English
  • Commitment to participation in the eight weekly virtual sessions, download the MIM smartphone app
  • Adequate Wi-Fi to access the MIM app content

Exclusion criteria

  • First responder working in a hospital or healthcare setting

Treatment and study plan

Mindfulness in Motion for First Responders

Behavioral

Mindfulness in Motion (MIM) is an eight-week, evidence-based workplace intervention designed to provide participants with practical strategies to reduce stress and burnout, and improve resilience. Offered virtually, MIM was adapted to support first responders relative to their occupational stressors and unique work characteristics. A companion smartphone app supplemented the eight weekly synchronous sessions and offered content informed by first responders and experiential practices that were modeled by first responders.

Primary outcomes

  1. Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10)

    Time frame: Baseline, immediately after the 8 week intervention, and 6 months after the completion of the 8-week intervention

    The Perceived Stress Scale-10 is a self-report measure of perceived stress that measures the degree to which situations in one's life over the past month are appraised as stressful. The 4-point Likert scale responses are 0=Never, 1=Almost Never, 2=Sometimes, 3=Fairly Often, and 4=Very Often. Individual scores are summed and range from 0 to 40 with higher scores indicating higher perceived stress.

  2. Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale-10 (CD-RISC-10)

    Time frame: Baseline, immediately after the 8 week intervention, and 6 months after the completion of the 8-week intervention

    The Connor Davidson-Resilience Scale-10 is a 10-item self-report assessment of a person's ability to bounce back after adversity. A 5-point Likert scale for each statement ranges from 0=Not true at all to 4=True nearly all of the time. A respondents's total sum score can range from 0-40 with higher scores indicating higher resilience.

  3. Utrecht Work Engagement Scale-0 (UWES-9)

    Time frame: Baseline, immediately after the 8 week intervention, and 6 months after the completion of the 8-week intervention

    A 9-item assessment of attitudes towards one's job. The Utrecht Work Engagement Scale-9 measures three dimensions: dedication, vigor, and absorption. All items are rated on a 7-point Likert scale ranging from 0=Never, 1=Almost Never, 2=Rarely, 3=Sometimes, 4=Often, 5=Very Often, and 6=Always. Each sub scale time is summed and ranges from 0-18. Higher scores for each sub scale indicate higher dedication, vigor, and absorption with work.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Modified Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (mNMQ)

    Time frame: Baseline, immediately after the 8 week intervention, and 6 months after the completion of the 8-week intervention

    The Modified Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire is a standardized 14-item tool assessing musculoskeletal symptoms, over the past 12 months and past 7 days, across multiple body regions. Q. 1 asks about musculoskeletal pain in 9 anatomical areas include the neck, shoulders, upper back, elbows, lower back, wrists/hands, hips/thighs, knees, and ankles/feet--yes/no are responses. Q. 2 asks frequency of musculoskeletal issues in the 9 anatomical areas over the past 30 days with Q. 3 asking about length of time related to the musculoskeletal pain and Q. 4 about intensity of the pain that was indicated. With yes/no responses, Q. 5 & 6 asks if pain has interfered with usual activities; question 7 asks if a healthcare provider was seen. Q. 9, 10, 11 asks if work activities have been disrupted and if a formal diagnosis was determined. Q. 12, 13, and 14 asks about related symptoms. The tool uses a structured, forced-choice format supported by a body map. There is no minimum or maximum score.

  2. Mindfulness in Motion smartphone app usage

    Time frame: Immediately after completion of the 8-week intervention

    App usage data in time per participant

  3. Mindfulness in Motion videos watched

    Time frame: immediately after completion of the 8-week intervention

    Frequency of videos watched by the overall participant sample on the smartphone app

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Ohio State University

Other

Registry information

Important dates

Study start
2023
Primary completion
2024
Study completion
2025
First posted
Mar 30, 2026
Registry last updated
Jun 16, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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