The effect of Mindfulness-Based Psychoeducation Program on psychological resilience, burnout and empathy fatigue of teachers working with foreign students

The purpose of this research is to examine the impact of the Mindfulness-Based Psycho-Education Program developed based on awareness-based therapies on the psychological resilience, burnout, and empathy fatigue of teachers in contact with foreign national students. The study is designed as a quasi-experimental research with a control group using a 2x3 mixed (split-plot) design, including pretest-posttest-follow-up measurements, aiming to increase the psychological resilience of teachers in contact with foreign national students and reduce empathy fatigue and burnout levels through the Mindfulness-Based Psycho-Education Program prepared based on mindfulness-based approaches. The study group consists of 18 volunteer teachers, 9 in the experimental group (7 females, 2 males) and 9 in the control group (7 females, 2 males), working in a secondary school affiliated with the Mersin Provincial Directorate of National Education during the 2022-2023 academic year. The experimental group received an 8-session Mindfulness-Based Psycho-Education Program, while no intervention was applied to the control group. The sessions were conducted once a week, with each session lasting 120 minutes. Participants underwent pretest before the implementation of the psycho-education program, posttest after the program, and a follow-up test 3 months later. A focus group interview was conducted with the participants in the experimental group to assess the effectiveness of the program and practices. Quantitative and qualitative research methods were employed together in this mixed-methods study. Data were collected using a "Personal Information Form," "Quality of Life Scale for Employees," "Short Psychological Resilience Scale," and a "Focus Group Interview Form" prepared by the researcher to gather participants' opinions on the effectiveness of group applications. Two-way ANOVA analysis for 2 (experimental and control) x 3 (pretest, posttest, follow-up measurement) mixed (split-plot) measurements was used to analyze quantitative data, and Wilks Lambda Statistic was used to determine significant differences between groups. Additionally, the Bonferroni-corrected multiple comparisons test was applied to identify the source of significant differences, and eta squared (η²) was examined to determine the effect size. Qualitative data obtained from the focus group interview were analyzed using content analysis to reach concepts and relationships that could explain the collected data. The results of the research indicate a significant difference in favor of the experimental group in the posttest scores of the "Short Psychological Resilience Scale (SPRS)" compared to the control group, and this difference persists in the follow-up measurement conducted 3 months after the end of the experiment. Similarly, there was a significant difference in favor of the experimental group in the posttest scores of the "Burnout Scale" and "Empathy Fatigue Scale," and this difference continued in the follow-up measurement conducted 3 months after the end of the experiment. According to the qualitative results of the study, participants acknowledged the contributions of the program, stating that they gained benefits in terms of time management, control, increased focus on the body in emotional regulation, and the acquisition of transformation and deepening skills. Participants reported gains in acceptance, relationships, awareness, and positive effects. They emphasized that the program contributed to increasing psychological resilience and reducing burnout and empathy fatigue in line with the goals of the research. Regarding the most beneficial sessions, participants mentioned benefiting from all sessions, with the highest emphasis on the session on "Body Scan," followed by the sessions on "Sitting Meditation," "Raisin Exercise," and "Loving-Kindness Meditation" in order of frequency. Participants identified awareness of oneself (emotion, thought, boundaries), the ability to turn to the body in emotional intensity (especially negative emotions and feelings of constriction), understanding the importance of staying in the present moment, self-acceptance, and the ability to generate solutions by experiencing positive emotions (comfort, calmness, non-judgment) as awareness gained during the education process. Regarding the evaluation of the effectiveness of the program, all participants included in the focus group interview found the program effective. The most frequently expressed reasons for finding the mindfulness-based psycho-education program effective were personal and professional awareness, feeling good, group sharing, and developing a new perspective. Participants stated that the contributions of the program to daily life and relationships were in the areas of emotions, relationships, self-control, and personal awareness. Finally, nearly all participants mentioned that they had no additional thoughts to add about the psycho-education program and its effects, while one participant suggested that the program could be slightly longer, conducted in different settings, and involve participants in the theoretical part of the program. Keywords: Awareness-Based Psychoeducation Program, Resilience, Burnout, Compassion Fatigue