Promoting wellbeing and mental health in Chilean secondary schools through mindfulness training for teachers and students
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN50306059 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN50306059 |
| Sponsor | San Sebastián University |
| Funder | Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo |
- Submission date
- 22/12/2025
- Registration date
- 23/12/2025
- Last edited
- 29/12/2025
- Recruitment status
- No longer recruiting
- Overall study status
- Ongoing
- Condition category
- Mental and Behavioural Disorders
Plain English summary of protocol
Background and study aims
In recent years, the mental health and well-being of students and teachers have become a growing problem in schools. The rise in anxiety, stress levels, and emotional overload is affecting the learning process and classroom relationships. In response to this, the preventive approaches that promote emotional regulation skills and resilience have become essential for strengthening well-being within school communities. This situation has become specifically urgent in schools with high levels of social vulnerability, where resources to address mental health are limited, and emotional demands are higher. Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) are practical strategies with a preventive and universal focus that have shown positive results across different contexts. Their practice helps with supporting emotional regulation, concentration, and the ability to respond calmly to difficult situations and stressful scenarios. Additionally, they foster empathy, cooperation, and a positive classroom environment. Despite this evidence, there are still challenges on how to implement school mindfulness programmes in educational settings effectively, considering the particularities of each context, their sustainability over time, and their adaptability to pedagogical practice.
This study takes into account preliminary evidence from a recent large-scale intervention in the United Kingdom (MYRIAD) and the previous experience of an MBI study carried out in Valdivia, Chile (https://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN15884989). The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of a mindfulness programme implemented in secondary schools in Santiago, Chile, in which teachers are prepared in different levels of mindfulness training and support, subsequently applying these practices with their adolescent students, to strengthen mental health and well-being in both groups. The project intends to contribute evidence on the benefits of integrating mindfulness into education as a preventive and formative strategy. It is expected that the findings will help to improve understanding of how mindfulness can be incorporated into educational settings sustainably, offering guidance for future public policies and programmes that address mental health in Chilean schools.
Who can participate?
Students and teachers from secondary schools in Santiago, Chile, that serve communities with a high proportion of students from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
What does the study involve?
All participating teachers are involved in an eight-week mindfulness workshop to develop their personal mindfulness skills. Afterwards, teachers are allocated to one of two groups. One group receives a brief training on how to teach mindfulness in their classrooms. The other group receives the same training, as well as an expanded training focused on lesson planning. After this training, teachers will start to implement the student’s program during school days within counselling time. During this time, teachers receive weekly guidance and supervision from the research team. This study compares two versions of teacher training to assess the benefits in students’ and teachers’ mental health, well-being, and mindfulness skills. To measure these effects, students complete short questionnaires before and after the intervention, and at 4 and 12 months later. As a secondary measure, teachers respond to short questionnaires before and after the mindfulness workshop, and again at 12 and 16 months later.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
All participants have the opportunity to receive free training in mindfulness skills. This study could benefit well-being, emotional regulation, and stress management, promoting better relations with oneself, others, and their environment. Furthermore, there is no physical or psychological risk associated with this study. Some participants might feel a brief discomfort when answering personal questions in the questionnaires.
Where is the study run from?
Universidad San Sebastián (Chile)
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
June 2024 to December 2026
Who is funding the study?
Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo (ANID) (Chile)
Who is the main contact?
Dr. Álvaro Langer Herrera, alvaro.langer@uss.cl, alvaro.langer@gmail.com
Contact information
Principal investigator, Public, Scientific
720 Del Cóndor Avenue, Huechuraba
Santiago
8580000
Chile
 ORCID ID |
0000-0003-2983-5274 |
|---|---|
| Phone | +56 9 56693284 |
| alvaro.langer@uss.cl |
Study information
| Primary study design | Interventional | |
|---|---|---|
| Allocation | Randomized controlled trial | |
| Masking | Blinded (masking used) | |
| Control | Dose comparison | |
| Assignment | Parallel | |
| Purpose | Prevention | |
| Scientific title | Application of a school-based mindfulness training in secondary schools in Santiago, Chile. Impact on mental health prevention and well-being promotion in teachers and students. | |
| Study objectives | 1. At the end of the intervention, students will have better mental health, well-being, and mindfulness skills in schools where teachers receive extended mindfulness training compared to schools where teachers receive brief mindfulness training. 2. Teachers who receive extended mindfulness training will have better mental health, well-being and mindfulness skills compared to teachers who receive brief mindfulness training. | |
| Ethics approval(s) |
1. Approved 06/05/2023, Ethics Committee of Universidad Austral de Chile (631 Independencia, Valdivia, 5090000, Chile; +56 63 2444314; comiteeticocientifico@uach.cl), ref: 1221034 2. Approved 05/06/2023, Ethics Committee of Universidad San Sebastián (2465 Lota, Providencia, Santiago, 7500000, Chile; +56 2 2206879; cec@uss.cl), ref: 52-23 | |
| Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied | Mental health prevention in teachers and students in socio-economically disadvantaged secondary schools. | |
| Intervention | 1. Mindfulness Workshop (12 hours): All teachers complete 8 weeks of a workshop to develop personal mindfulness skills. 2. Teacher Training: After the workshop, all participants are randomly assigned to one of two training arms: Brief Training (21 hours): Participants in this arm attend a 3-day mindfulness training for implementation, focused on integrating mindfulness practices into classroom routines. Extended Training (42 hours): Participants in this arm complete the brief training (21 hours) and then attend an additional 3-day pedagogical planning training (21 hours), focused on reviewing and receiving feedback on the mindfulness-based classroom activities they plan to apply with students. 3. Student Implementation (10 weeks). Students participate in a 10-session mindfulness programme, delivered by their teachers. Each session lasts 30–40 minutes and focuses on applying the mindfulness strategies learned during the teacher training. Teachers receive supervision once per week during the implementation of the programme. | |
| Intervention type | Behavioural | |
| Primary outcome measure(s) |
| |
| Key secondary outcome measure(s) |
| |
| Completion date | 01/12/2026 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | |
|---|---|
| Age group | Mixed |
| Lower age limit | 13 Years |
| Upper age limit | 18 Years |
| Sex | All |
| Target sample size at registration | 1680 |
| Total final enrolment | 754 |
| Key inclusion criteria | 1. Be students or teachers 2. Schools that offer secondary education (1st to 4th secondary) 3. Schools that have two or more courses per year 4. Schools that have a vulnerability index ≥75 5. Schools that belong to the city of Santiago, Chile |
| Key exclusion criteria | 1. Schools for students with special needs |
| Date of first enrolment | 05/06/2024 |
| Date of final enrolment | 03/05/2025 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- Chile
Study participating centres
Santiago
7750555
Chile
Santiago
8860022
Chile
Santiago
9710683
Chile
Santiago
8310006
Chile
Santiago
7880066
Chile
Santiago
7780040
Chile
Santiago
7930557
Chile
Results and Publications
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | No |
|---|---|
| IPD sharing plan summary | Data sharing statement to be made available at a later date |
| IPD sharing plan |
Editorial Notes
23/12/2025: Study’s existence confirmed by the Ethics Committee of Universidad San Sebastián, Chile.
