Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-l7hp2 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-22T16:18:21.305Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

The contributions of mindfulness meditation on burnout, coping strategy, and job satisfaction: Evidence from Thailand

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 May 2014

Peerayuth Charoensukmongkol*
Affiliation:
International College, National Institute of Development Administration, 118 Moo 3, Serithai Road Klong-Chan, Bangkapi, Bangkok, Thailand 10240.
*
Corresponding author: [email protected]

Abstract

The present study examined the contributions of mindfulness meditation practice on job burnout, a choice of stress coping styles, and job satisfaction. The online survey data were obtained from 93 meditation practitioners and 54 non-practitioners in Thailand (total n = 147). Results from partial least squares regression suggested that respondents who had regularly practiced mindfulness meditation tended to report lower burnout. In addition, they tended to adopt more problem-focused coping and less emotion-focused coping in order to deal with work-related stress. The author also found that regular mindfulness meditation practice also contributed indirectly to higher job satisfaction.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press and Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management 2013 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Agrawal, R. K., Bedi, K. (2002). Transforming the self: Exploring effects of vipassana on Delhi police trainees. Journal of Human Values, 8(1), 4556.Google Scholar
Alwin, D. E., Hauser, R. M. (1975). Decomposition of effects in path analysis. American Sociological Review, 40(1), 3747.Google Scholar
Anshel, M. H., Sutarso, T., Jubenville, C. (2009). Racial and gender differences on sources of acute stress and coping style among competitive athletes. Journal of Social Psychology, 149(2), 159178.Google Scholar
Bakker, A. B., van Emmerik, H., Euwema, M. C. (2006). Crossover of burnout and engagement in work teams. Work & Occupations, 33(4), 464489.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. New York, NY: Freeman.Google Scholar
Bowen, S., Witkiewitz, K., Dillworth, T. M., Marlatt, G. A. (2007). The role of thought suppression in the relationship between mindfulness meditation and alcohol use. Addictive Behaviors, 32(10), 23242328.Google Scholar
Boyd, N. G., Lewin, J. E., Sager, J. K. (2009). A model of stress and coping and their influence on individual and organizational outcomes. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 75(2), 197211.Google Scholar
Brown, K. W., Ryan, R. M. (2003). The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84(4), 822848.Google Scholar
Brown, K. W., Ryan, R. M. (2004). Perils and promise in defining and measuring mindfulness: Observations from experience. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 11(3), 242248.Google Scholar
Brown, K. W., Ryan, R. M., Creswell, J. D. (2007). Mindfulness: Theoretical foundations and evidence for its salutary effects. Psychological Inquiry, 18(4), 211237.Google Scholar
Cahn, B. R., Polich, J. (2006). Meditation states and traits: EEG, ERP, and neuroimaging studies. Psychological Bulletin, 132(2), 180211.Google Scholar
Cammann, C., Fichman, M., Jenkins, G. D., Klesh, J. R. (1983). Assessing the attitudes and perceptions of organizational members. In S. E. Seashore, E. E. Lawler, P. H. Mirvis & C. Cammann (Eds.), Assessing organizational change: A guide to methods, measures, and practices (pp. 71138). New York, NY: Wiley.Google Scholar
Chavan, D. V. (2007). Vipassana: The Buddha's tool to probe mind and body. In R. Banerjee & B. K. Chakrabarti (Eds.), Progress in brain research vol. 168 (pp. 247253). Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Elsevier.Google Scholar
Chin, W. W., Newsted, P. R. (1999). Structural equation modeling analysis with small samples using partial least squares. In R. Hoyle (Ed.), Statistical strategies for small sample research (pp. 307341). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Connor-Smith, J. K., Flachsbart, C. (2007). Relations between personality and coping: A meta-analysis. Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 93(6), 10801107.Google Scholar
Cullen, J., Silverstein, B., Foley, M. (2008). Linking biomechanical workload and organizational practices to burnout and satisfaction. Journal of Business & Psychology, 23(1/2), 6371.Google Scholar
Demerouti, E., Bakker, A. B., Nachreiner, F., Schaufeli, W. B. (2001). The job demands-resources model of burnout. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86(3), 499512.Google Scholar
Drydakis, N. (2011). Health-impaired employees’ job satisfaction: New evidence from Athens, Greece. Applied Economics Letters, 19(8), 789793.Google Scholar
Edwards, B. D., Bell, S. T., Arthur, J. W., Decuir, A. D. (2008). Relationships between facets of job satisfaction and task and contextual performance. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 57(3), 441465.Google Scholar
Efron, B., Rogosa, D., Tibshirani, R. (2004). Resampling methods of estimation. In N. J. Smelser & P. B. Baltes (Eds.), International encyclopedia of the social & behavioral sciences (pp. 1321613220). New York, NY: Elsevier.Google Scholar
Emavardhana, T., Tori, C. D. (1997). Changes in self-concept, ego defense mechanisms, and religiosity following seven-day vipassana meditation retreats. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 36(2), 194206.Google Scholar
Feldman, G., Hayes, A., Kumar, S., Greeson, J., Laurenceau, J.-P. (2007). Mindfulness and emotion regulation: The development and initial validation of the cognitive and affective mindfulness scale-revised (CAMS-R). Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 29(3), 177190.Google Scholar
Fornell, C., Bookstein, F. L. (1982). Two structural equation models: LISREL and PLS applied to consumer exit-voice theory. Journal of Marketing Research, 19(4), 440452.Google Scholar
Fornell, C., Larcker, D. (1981). Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of Marketing Research, 18(1), 3950.Google Scholar
Goenka, S. N. (2006). Peace within oneself for peace in the world. Dhammagiri, Igatpuri: Vipassana Research Institute.Google Scholar
Gundlach, M. J., Martinko, M. J., Douglas, S. C. (2003). Emotional intelligence, causal reasoning, and the self-efficacy development process. International Journal of Organizational Analysis, 11(3), 229246.Google Scholar
Haar, J. M. (2006). The downside of coping: Work-family conflict, employee burnout and the moderating effects of coping strategies. Journal of Management & Organization, 12(2), 146159.Google Scholar
Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., Anderson, R. E. (2009). Multivariate data analysis (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.Google Scholar
Hobfoll, S. E. (1989). Conservation of resources: A new attempt at conceptualizing stress. American Psychologist, 44(3), 513524.Google Scholar
Hobfoll, S. E. (2001). The influence of culture, community, and the nested-self in the stress process: Advancing conservation of resources theory. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 50(3), 337421.Google Scholar
Hobfoll, S. E., Freedy, J. (1993). Conservation of resources: A general stress theory applied to burnout. In W. B. Schaufeli, C. Maslach & T. Marek (Eds.), Professional burnout: Recent developments in theory and research (pp. 115129). Washington, DC: Taylor & Francis.Google Scholar
Hollet-Haudebert, S., Mulki, J. P., Fournier, C. (2011). Neglected burnout dimensions: Effect of depersonalization and personal nonaccomplishment on organizational commitment of salespeople. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 31(4), 411428.Google Scholar
Hua, H.-H. S., Cheng, C.-W. (2010). Job stress, coping strategies, and burnout among hotel industry supervisors in Taiwan. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 21(8), 13371350.Google Scholar
Hung, J.-Y., Fisher, R., Gapp, R., Carter, G. (2012). Work-related stress impacts on the commitment of urban transit drivers. Journal of Management & Organization, 18(2), 220230.Google Scholar
Jenaro, C., Flores, N., Arias, B. (2007). Burnout and coping in human service practitioners. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 38(1), 8087.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jha, A., Krompinger, J., Baime, M. (2007). Mindfulness training modifies subsystems of attention. Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience, 7(2), 109119.Google Scholar
Judge, T. A., Erez, A., Bono, J. E. (1998). The power of being positive: The relation between positive self-concept and job performance. Human Performance, 11(2–3), 167187.Google Scholar
Kabat-Zinn, J. (1990). Full catastrophe living: Using the wisdom of your body and mind to face stress, pain, and illness. New York, NY: Delacorte Press.Google Scholar
Karasek, R., Brisson, C., Kawakami, N., Houtman, I., Bongers, P., Amick, B. (1998). The job content questionnaire (JCQ): An instrument for internationally comparative assessments of psychosocial job characteristics. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 3(4), 322355.Google Scholar
Kock, N. (2012). WarpPLS 3.0 user manual. Laredo, TX: ScriptWarp Systems.Google Scholar
Latack, J. C., Havlovic, S. J. (1992). Coping with job stress: A conceptual evaluation framework for coping measures. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 13(5), 479508.Google Scholar
Lazarus, R. S. (1999). Stress and emotion: A new synthesis. New York, NY: Springer.Google Scholar
Lazarus, R. S., Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, appraisal, and coping. New York, NY: Springer.Google Scholar
Lewin, J. E., Sager, J. K. (2008). Salesperson burnout: A test of the coping-mediational model of social support. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 28(3), 233246.Google Scholar
Luria, G., Torjman, A. (2009). Resources and coping with stressful events. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 30(6), 685707.Google Scholar
Majumdar, M., Grossman, P., Dietz-Waschkowski, B., Kersig, S., Walach, H. (2002). Does mindfulness meditation contribute to health? Outcome evaluation of a German sample. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 8(6), 719730.Google Scholar
Maslach, C., Jackson, S. E., Leiter, M. P. (1996). Maslach burnout inventory manual (3rd ed.). Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.Google Scholar
Maslach, C., Leiter, M. P. (2008). Early predictors of job burnout and engagement. Journal of Applied Psychology, 93(3), 498512.Google Scholar
Maslach, C., Leiter, M. P., Jackson, S. E. (2012). Making a significant difference with burnout interventions: Researcher and practitioner collaboration. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 33(2), 296300.Google Scholar
Michael, T., Halligan, S. L., Clark, D. M., Ehlers, A. (2007). Rumination in posttraumatic stress disorder. Depression and Anxiety, 24(5), 307317.Google Scholar
Michel, J. S., Kotrba, L. M., Mitchelson, J. K., Clark, M. A., Baltes, B. B. (2011). Antecedents of work-family conflict: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 32(5), 689725.Google Scholar
Moore, A., Malinowski, P. (2009). Meditation, mindfulness and cognitive flexibility. Consciousness and Cognition, 18(1), 176186.Google Scholar
Ntoumanis, N., Edmunds, J., Duda, J. L. (2009). Understanding the coping process from a self-determination theory perspective. British Journal of Health Psychology, 14(2), 249260.Google Scholar
Pagis, M. (2010). From abstract concepts to experiential knowledge: Embodying enlightenment in a meditation center. Qualitative Sociology, 33(4), 469489.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Penley, J. A., Tomaka, J., Wiebe, J. S. (2002). The association of coping to physical and psychological health outcomes: A metaanalytic review. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 25(6), 551603.Google Scholar
Perrone, K. M., Ægisdóttir, S., Webb, L. K., Blalock, R. H. (2006). Work-family interface: Commitment, conflict, coping, and satisfaction. Journal of Career Development, 32(3), 286300.Google Scholar
Petter, S., Straub, D., Rai, A. (2007). Specifying formative constructs in information systems research. MIS Quarterly, 31(4), 623656.Google Scholar
Podsakoff, P. M., MacKenzie, S. B., Jeong-Yeon, L., Podsakoff, N. P. (2003). Common method biases in behavioral research: A critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(5), 879903.Google Scholar
Preacher, K. J., Hayes, A. F. (2004). SPSS and SAS procedures for estimating indirect effects in simple mediation models. Behavior Research Methods, Instruments, & Computers, 36(4), 717731.Google Scholar
Pseekos, A. C., Bullock-Yowell, E., Dahlen, E. R. (2011). Examining Holland's person-environment fit, workplace aggression, interpersonal conflict, and job satisfaction. Journal of Employment Counseling, 48(2), 6371.Google Scholar
Schaufeli, W. B., Bakker, A. B., Van Rhenen, W. (2009). How changes in job demands and resources predict burnout, work engagement, and sickness absenteeism. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 30(7), 893917.Google Scholar
Shapiro, S. L., Astin, J. A., Bishop, S. R., Cordova, M. (2005). Mindfulness-based stress reduction for health care professionals: Results from a randomized trial. International Journal of Stress Management, 12(2), 64176.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shapiro, S. L., Schwartz, G. E., Bonner, G. (1998). Effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction on medical and premedical students. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 21(6), 581599.Google Scholar
Shepherd, C. D., Tashchian, A., Ridnour, R. E. (2011). An investigation of the job burnout syndrome in personal selling. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 31(4), 397410.Google Scholar
Singh, P., Suar, D., Leiter, M. P. (2012). Antecedents, work-related consequences, and buffers of job burnout among Indian software developers. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 19(1), 83104.Google Scholar
Sole-Leris, A. (1986). Tranquillity & insight (an introduction to the oldest form of Buddhism). London, UK: Rider.Google Scholar
Spector, P. E. (2006). Method variance in organizational research: Truth or urban legend? Organizational Research Methods, 9(2), 221232.Google Scholar
Thomas, C. H., Lankau, M. J. (2009). Preventing burnout: The effects of LMX and mentoring on socialization, role stress, and burnout. Human Resource Management, 48(3), 417432.Google Scholar
Tourigny, L., Baba, V. V., Xiaoyun, W. (2010). Burnout and depression among nurses in Japan and China: The moderating effects of job satisfaction and absence. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 21(15), 27412761.Google Scholar
Trevelyan, R. (2011). Self-efficacy and effort in new venture development. Journal of Management & Organization, 17(1), 216.Google Scholar
van Beek, I., Hu, Q., Schaufeli, W. B., Taris, T. W., Schreurs, B. H. J. (2012). For fun, love, or money: What drives workaholic, engaged, and burned-out employees at work? Applied Psychology, 61(1), 3055.Google Scholar
Wallace, B. A. (2006). The attention revolution: Unlocking the power of the focused mind. Boston, MA: Wisdom.Google Scholar
Zeidan, F., Johnson, S. K., Diamond, B. J., David, Z., Goolkasian, P. (2010). Mindfulness meditation improves cognition: Evidence of brief mental training. Consciousness and Cognition, 19(2), 597605.Google Scholar