SOCIAL WORK STUDENTS USE OF ADAPTED MINDFULNESS-BASED STRESS REDUCTION AS A STRESS MANAGEMENT STRATEGY

Stress management programs are not available or required in many social work programs and the need for programming is apparent considering NASW‟s self-care mandate and COVID-19 pandemic related student impacts. Using a convergent mixed methods design, the authors investigated the effects of an adapted mindfulness-based stress reduction course as a stress management strategy for social work students (n=15) during the COVID-19 pandemic to determine if there are any effects on students' level of stress and mindful self-care behaviors. Three, five-week courses consisting of synchronous meetings and asynchronous practice materials were conducted. The Perceived Stress Scale and Mindful Self-Care Scale were administered to students as pre-test and post-test to and a focus group was conducted at the conclusion of each's course's final week. Three themes emerged: commitment and routine, practice and techniques, and accountability and Wilcoxon signed ranks test results showed no significant effects of adapted mindfulness on students‟ perceived stress (z= -.882, p=.378). However, mindful relaxation (z = - 3.04, p=.002), and students‟ self-compassion and purpose (z = -2.62, p=.009), and mindful awareness (z = -1.93, p=.054) increased. Although stress levels were not significantly affected, students‟ self-care improved, which aligns with NASW code of ethics mandating professionalism through self-care.