Participants completed a battery of standardized measures at three time points: baseline, program completion and two months follow-up. The measures included several indicators of mindfulness, distress, positive affect, compassion, well being, and caregiving competence. In addition, we explored the impact of participant demographic and lifestyle and characteristics (e.g., marital status, previous history of meditation experience, engagement in self-care practices and religious observance), health status, and role (teacher vs. parent). The influence of several intervention parameters on outcomes were also examined within the MT group (e.g. number of sessions attended, number of minutes of average weekly mindfulness practice and type of format program participation( twice a week vs weekly format). Study findings provide strong preliminary evidence for the benefits of MT in reducing stress and anxiety, improving mindfulness and psychological well-being, and facilitating hope and gratitude in both parents and teachers. Medium to large effect sizes were shown on several measures upon program completion and at follow-up. MT is an effective intervention for facilitating well-being in teachers and parents of children with special needs whether delivered in weekly or biweekly program format.
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Benn et al. (2012) studied this question.