Mindfulness in modern psychology relates to bringing complete attention to the present experience, often involving a non-judgmental attitude to that experience.

The authors in this study wanted to look at whether a new measure of staff values in learning disability services could help to better understand the potential effectiveness of mindfulness in the well being of support staff.

The measure they used is the Support Staff Values Questionnaire (SSVQ-ID).

They asked 59 support staff to complete a measure of psychological acceptance (the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire), the SSVQ-ID, and the Maslach Burnout Inventory.

They found promising results, suggesting that this is an area where further research is warranted. They also suggested that interventions related to improving mindfulness might increase support staff resilience, especially when working with people with a dual diagnosis.

Values and Psychological Acceptance as Correlates of Burnout in Support Staff Working With Adults With Intellectual Disabilities, Noone S & Hastings, R in Journal of Mental Health Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 4, 2, 79-89