Preparing Future Leaders for Immediate Response to Emergencies through Mindfulness Education
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14456/abacodijournal.2023.33Keywords:
emergency, emotional resilience, empathy, leadership, mindfulness, self-awareness, stress managementAbstract
Leadership preparedness is essential for immediate response to emergencies to reduce losses and save lives. This study adopted a mixed-method approach to study the effects of a customized intervention program, an elective course entitled Mindful Leadership, on college students’ leadership preparedness for immediate emergency responses. A pre-post study design was implemented among the targeted group of 41 undergraduates. Mixed results were produced after sixteen weeks of intervention. The quantitative data presented significant pre-post difference in self-awareness, but no significant differences in other sub-variables of leadership preparedness. However, the qualitative data were more encouraging and provided deeper insights, indicating that mindfulness education was beneficial to the development of the participants’ leadership preparedness. Hence, this study evidenced that a mixed-method approach enables a better understanding of the research questions, especially when the participants are not mature enough for a survey alone to detect their changes after an intervention.
References
Alo, O., Arslan, A., Tian, A., & Pereira, V. (2023). Exploring the limits of mindfulness during the COVID-19 pandemic: Qualitative evidence from the African context. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 1-31. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMP-03-2022-0124
Annie, H., & Michael, P. (2013). Teaching mindfulness-based cognitive therapy to trainee psychologists: Qualitative and quantitative effects. Counselling Psychology Quarterly, 26(2), 115-130. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09515070.2013.792998
Ashkenazi, I., & Hunt, R. C. (2019). You're It-You've Got to Save Someone: Immediate Responders, Not Bystanders. Front. Public Health, 7(361). doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2019.00361
Bono, J. E., & Ilies, R. (2006). Charisma, positive emotions and mood contagion. The Leadership Quarterly, 17(4), 317-334. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2006.04.008
Brown, K. W., & Ryan, R. M. (2003). The benefits of being present: The role of mindfulness in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84(4), 822-848. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.84.4.822
Carmody, J., & Baer, R. A. (2008). Relationships between mindfulness practice and levels of mindfulness, medical and psychological symptoms, and well-being in a mindfulness-based stress reduction program. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 31(1), 23-33. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-007-9130-7
Castillo-Montoya, M. (2016). Preparing for interview research: The interview protocol refinement framework. The Qualitative Report, 21(5), 811-831.
https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2016.2337
Chen, E. Y., Cacioppo, J., Fettich, K., Gallop, R., McCloskey, M. S., Olino, T., & Zeffiro, T. A. (2017). An adaptive randomized trial of dialectical behavior therapy and cognitive behavior therapy for binge-eating. Psychological medicine, 47(4), 703-717. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291716002543
Cohen, S., & Williamson, G. (1988). Perceived stress in a probability sample of the United States. In Spacapan, S., & Oskamp, S. (Eds.), The social psychology of health. Sage.
Cohen, S., Kamarck, T., & Mermelstein, R. (1983). A global measure of perceived stress. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 24(4), 386-396. https://doi.org/10.2307/2136404
Conley, D. T. (2007). The challenge of college readiness. Educational Leadership, 64(7), 23-29.
Cooper, D., Yap, K., O'Brien, M., & Scott, I. (2020). Mindfulness and empathy among counseling and psychotherapy professionals: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Mindfulness, 11(10), 2243-2257. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-020-01425-3
Dane, E. (2011). Paying attention to mindfulness and its effects on task performance in the workplace. Journal of Management, 37(4), 997-1018. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206310367948
Davis, M. H. (1980). A multidimensional approach to individual differences in empathy. JSAS Catalog of Selected Documents in Psychology, 10, 85.
Emergency Management E-Learning Academy for Leadership. (n.d.). Courses. https://yjgb.sset.org.cn/#/home
Gaddis, B., Connelly, S., & Mumford, M. D. (2004). Failure feedback as an affective event: Influences of leader affect on subordinate attitudes and performance. The Leadership Quarterly, 15(5), 663-686. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2004.05.011
George, B., Sims, P., McLea, A. N., & Mayer, D. (2007). Discovering your authentic leadership. Harvard Business Review, 85(2), 129-138.
Glasø, L., & Einarsen, S. (2008). Emotion regulation in leader–follower relationships. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 17(4), 482-500. https://doi.org/10.1080/13594320801994960
Glomb, T. M., Duffy, M. K., Bono, J. E., & Yang, T. (2011). Mindfulness at work. Research in Personnel and Human Resources Management, 30, 115-157.
Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional intelligence. Basic Book.
Goleman, D. (1998). Working with Emotional Intelligence. Bloomsbury Publishing.
Gooty, J., Connelly, S., Griffith, J., & Gupta, A. (2010). Leadership, affect and emotions A state of the science review. Leadership Quarterly, 21(6), 979-1004. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2010.10.005
Graneheim, U. H., & Lundman, B. (2004). Qualitative content analysis in nursing research: concepts, procedures, and measures to achieve trustworthiness. Nurse Education Today, 24(2),105-112. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2003.10.001
Gratz, K. L., & Roemer, L. (2004). Multidimensional assessment of emotion regulation and dysregulation: Development, factor structure, and initial validation of the difficulties in emotion regulation scale. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 26(1), 41-54.
Han, H. M. (2023). Preparing Future Leaders for Immediate Response to Emergencies through Mindfulness Education [Doctoral dissertation]. Graduate School of Business and Advanced Technology Management, Assumption University of Thailand.
Hathaisaard, C., Wannarit, K., & Pattanaseri, K. (2022). Mindfulness-based interventions reducing and preventing stress and burnout in medical students: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Asian Journal of Psychiatry, 69(7), 102997. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajp.2021.102997
Holstein, J. A., & Gubrium, J. F. (2006). Postmodern interviewing. Sage.
Hölzel, B. K., Carmody, J., Vangel, M., Congleton, C., Yerramsetti, S. M., Gard, T., & Lazar, S. W. (2011). Mindfulness practice leads to increases in regional brain gray matter density. Psychiatry Research, 191(1), 36-43.
Hougaard, R., Carter, J., & Coutts, G. (2016). Mindful leadership: Achieving results by managing the mind. Leader to Leader, 2016(79), 49-56.
Hyland, P. K., Lee, R. A., & Mills, M. J. (2015). Mindfulness at work: a new approach to improving individual and organizational performance. Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 8(4), 576-602. https://doi.org/10.1017/iop.2015.41
Jha, A. P., Rogers, S. L., & Morrison, A. B. (2014). Chapter 15-Mindfulness training in high stress professions: strengthening attention and resilience. In R. A. Baer (Ed.), Mindfulness-Based Treatment Approaches (pp. 347-366). Academic Press.
Kabat-Zinn, J. (1982). An outpatient program in behavioral medicine for chronic pain patients based on the practice of mindfulness meditation: Theoretical considerations and preliminary results. General Hospital Psychiatry, 4(1), 33-47.https://doi.org/10.1016/0163-8343(82)90026-3
Kabat-Zinn, J. (2003). Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBI) in context: Past, present, and future. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 10(2), 144-156. https://doi.org/10.1093/clipsy.bpg016
Kaufman, E. A., Xia, M., Fosco, G., Yaptangco, M., Skidmore, C. R., & Crowell, S. E. (2016). The Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale Short Form (DERS-SF): Validation and replication in adolescent and adult samples. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 38(3), 443-455. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10862-015-9529-3
Kellett, J. B., Humphrey, R. H., & Sleeth, R. G. (2002). Empathy and complex task performance: Two routes to leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 13(5), 523-544. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1048-9843(02)00142-X
Kraemer, M. U. G., Yang, B., Gutierrez, C. H., Wu, B., Klein, D. M., Pigott, J. S., & Brownstein, A. (2020). The effect of human mobility and control measures on the COVID-19 epidemic in China Science. SCIENCE, 368(6490), 493-497.
Madera, J. M., & Smith, D. B. (2009). The effects of leader negative emotions on evaluations of leadership in a crisis situation: The role of anger and sadness. The Leadership Quarterly, 20(2), 103-114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2009.01.007
Navarrete, J., García-Salvador, M. Á., Cebolla, A., & Baños, R. (2022). Impact of mindfulness training on Spanish police officers’ mental and emotional health: A non-randomized pilot study. Mindfulness, 13(3), 695-711. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-022-01827-5
Nilsson, H., & Kazemi, A. (2016). From Buddhist sati to Western mindfulness practice: A contextual analysis. Journal of Religion & Spirituality in Social Work: Social Thought, 35(1-2), 7-23. https://doi.org/10.1080/15426432.2015.1067582
Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership Theory and Practice. SAGE Publications.
Nowack, K., & Zak, P. (2020). Empathy enhancing antidotes for interpersonally toxic leaders. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 72(2), 119-133.
https://doi.org/10.1037/cpb0000164
O’Brien, E. D., Konrath, S. H., Grühn, D., & Hagen, A. L. (2013). Empathic concern and perspective taking linear and quadratic effects of age across the adult life span. The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 68(2), 168-175. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbs055.
Ouliaris, C. (2019). The importance of self-awareness: Musings of a medical student. Australasian Psychiatry, 27(3), 267-269. 10.1177/1039856219839479
Pahwa, S., & Khan, N. (2022). Factors affecting emotional resilience in adults. Management and Labour Studies, 47(2), 216-232. https://doi.org/10.1177/0258042X211072935
Pearson, M. (2019). Counselling intern self-awareness and readiness for practice: Reports from a mindfulness challenge. Asia Pacific Journal of Counselling and Psychotherapy, 11(1), 23-33. https://doi.org/10.1080/21507686.2019.1703772
Preedy, V. R., & Watson, R. R. (2010). Handbook of Disease Burdens and Quality of Life Measures. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-78665-0_6467
Raelin, J. A. (2020). Toward a methodology for studying leadership-as-practice. Leadership, 16(4), 480-508. https://doi.org/10.1177/1742715019882831
Sadri, G., Weber, T. J., & Gentry, W. A. (2011). Empathic emotion and leadership performance: An empirical analysis across 38 countries. The Leadership Quarterly, 22(5), 818-830. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2011.07.005
Shapiro, D. H. (1992). A preliminary study of long-term meditators: Goals, effects, religious orientation, cognitions. Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, 24(1), 23-39.
Shapiro, S. L., & Izett, C. D. (2008). Meditation: A universal tool for cultivating empathy. In S. Hick & T. Bien (Eds.), Mindfulness and the therapeutic relationship (pp. 161–175). Guilford Press.
Showry, M., & Manasa, K. V. (2014). Self-Awareness – Key to Effective Leadership. The IUP Journal of Soft Skills, 8(1), 15-26.
Spitzer, M. (2021). Open schools! Weighing the effects of viruses and lockdowns on children. Trends in neuroscience and education, 22, 100151.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tine.2021.100151
Stanley, S. (2015). Sīla and sati: An exploration of ethics and mindfulness in Pāli Buddhism and their implications for secular mindfulness-based applications. In E. Shonin, W. Van Gordon, & N. N. Singh (Eds.), Buddhist foundations of mindfulness (pp. 89–113). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-18591-0_6
Strack, F., & Deutsch, R. (2004). Reflective and impulsive determinants of social behavior. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 8(3), 220-247.
Trötschel, R., Hüffmeier, J., Loschelder, D. D., Schwartz, K., & Gollwitzer, P. M. (2011). Perspective taking as a means to overcome motivational barriers in negotiations: When putting oneself into the opponent's shoes helps to walk toward agreements. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 101(4), 771-790.
https://doi.org/10.1037/a0023801
Vago, D. R., & Silbersweig, D. A. (2012). Self-awareness, self-regulation, and selftranscendence (S-ART): a framework for understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of mindfulness. Frontiers in human neuroscience, 6, 1-30.
Vroom, V. H., & Jago, A. G. (2007). The role of the situation in leadership. American Psychologist, 62(1), 17-24. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.62.1.17
Weisaeth, L., Knudsen, Ø., & Tønnessen, A. (2002). Technological disasters, crisis management and leadership stress. Journal of hazardous materials, 93(1), 33-45. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0304-3894(02)00036-5
Xu, J., Jo, H., Noorbhai, L., Patel, A., & Li, A. (2022). Virtual mindfulness interventions to promote well-being in adults: A mixed-methods systematic review. Journal of Affective Disorders, 300, 571-585. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2022.01.027
