Development of a Web-Based Intervention Course to Promote Academic Staff Well-Being: Protocol for a Mixed Methods Study Design
Source: PubMed Central Open Access, NCBI / U.S. National Library of Medicine
Abstract Background Burnout and poor well-being are serious problems in the workforce all over the world. Especially in academia, high pressure is evident. Therefore, addressing burnout is essential for enhancing academic staff well-being. Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), which aims to enhance psychological flexibility skills comprising present moment awareness, value-based actions, and differentiation of thoughts from self, has been found to be a promising approach to enhance workers well-being and work satisfaction. Objective The purpose of this study was to first develop and describe our acceptance and commitment therapy–based WELLS course, aimed at supporting academic staff well-being and working life skills, offered to academic staff. The second aim was to report the mixed methods study design protocol to explore the participants’ experiences of the effects of the course. Methods We will conduct a single-arm, nonrandomized, and mixed methods study with baseline, postintervention, and 6-month follow-up assessments. We will use an explanatory sequential design in which qualitative data are used to explain and deepen the quantitative findings. The quantitative part of the study aims to recruit 300 participants from the University of Helsinki. Questionnaire data will be collected from the participants 3 times: at the beginning, at the end, and 6 months after the course for well-being–related measures such as burnout and working life skills such as time management and
Abstract
Abstract Background Burnout and poor well-being are serious problems in the workforce all over the world. Especially in academia, high pressure is evident. Therefore, addressing burnout is essential for enhancing academic staff well-being. Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), which aims to enhance psychological flexibility skills comprising present moment awareness, value-based actions, and differentiation of thoughts from self, has been found to be a promising approach to enhance workers well-being and work satisfaction. Objective The purpose of this study was to first develop and describe our acceptance and commitment therapy–based WELLS course, aimed at supporting academic staff well-being and working life skills, offered to academic staff. The second aim was to report the mixed methods study design protocol to explore the participants’ experiences of the effects of the course. Methods We will conduct a single-arm, nonrandomized, and mixed methods study with baseline, postintervention, and 6-month follow-up assessments. We will use an explanatory sequential design in which qualitative data are used to explain and deepen the quantitative findings. The quantitative part of the study aims to recruit 300 participants from the University of Helsinki. Questionnaire data will be collected from the participants 3 times: at the beginning, at the end, and 6 months after the course for well-being–related measures such as burnout and working life skills such as time management and psychological flexibility. The participants will be clustered based on their initial burnout risk score using latent profile analysis. Differences in participants’ dropout, participation forms, and changes in well-being and working life skills during the course will be analyzed with mixed ANOVA. Qualitative data will be collected from reflective journals written at the end of the course, participants’ written goal statements, and interviews among willing participants. Reflective journals will be analyzed with qualitative content analysis, and interviews will be analyzed using thematic analysis. Results As of March 2026, a total of 265 participants had enrolled in the course and given their consent to participate in the research. The current data are being analyzed, and the results are expected to be published in late 2026 or early 2027. Conclusions If the intervention proves successful, it may serve as an important tool for improving academics’ well-being, working life skills, and engagement by understanding how this intervention can help academic staff members with different initial burnout levels. In addition, it can help to understand and solve individual challenges related to well-being in the academic workplace.