The COVID-19 pandemic led to a dramatic rise in psychological burden and strain globally, including Germany. German teachers, for example, have reported increased emotional exhaustion and professional burnout, at levels exceeding those of the general population (Klusmann et al., 2023). The rise in teacher burnout is particularly alarming given that teachers already perceived their work as stressful and reported high rates of burnout prior to the pandemic (Iriarte Redín & Erro-Garcés, 2020).

Interventions focused on mindfulness, compassion, and socio-emotional learning present a promising strategy for addressing burnout among educators (Jennings et al., 2017). The CovSocial and ReSource projects provided evidence of the effectiveness of partner-based dyadic online mental training interventions on stress reduction, and cultivation of psychological resilience and social connectedness in the general population (Godara & Singer, 2024; Kok & Singer, 2017). This line of research suggests that these social practice formats are even more efficient than classic mindfulness techniques practiced alone when it comes to reducing loneliness and social stress, as well as boosting social connections, cohesion, and resilience (Matthaeus, Godara, et al., 2024). Despite an increase in research efforts to alleviate burnout among teachers through such mental training intervention programs, partner-based Dyads have never been investigated in the school context.

This study examines the effect of a 10-week adapted online empathy-compassion (EmCo) Dyad training program (Kok & Singer, 2017) on schoolteachers’ mental health and resilience. In addition, this study assesses the underlying cognitive and affective mechanisms driving the observed changes, including affects, emotion regulation, adaptive coping strategies, mindful awareness, and introspective self-regulation. The effect of the intervention is assessed through self-report questionnaires and Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA). Comparisons between the EmCo dyad intervention and the waitlist control group are conducted at three-time points: pre-test (T0), mid-test (T1; after 5 weeks), and post-test (T2; after 10 weeks).

We hypothesize that, compared to the waitlist control group, teachers undergoing the EmCo intervention will report lower levels of psychological distress and higher levels of resilience from T0 to T1 and T2, with positive affect, adaptive coping strategies and self-regulation as the underlying mechanisms of these effects.

In conclusion, this study explores the potential of the EmCo Dyad intervention to address the psychological distress, burnout, and resilience challenges faced by German teachers. By integrating daily dyadic practices and weekly coaching, the program emphasizes mindfulness-based social-emotional learning in a novel, partner-based format. While results are forthcoming, this research aims to contribute valuable insights into effective strategies for enhancing educators' mental health and resilience, ultimately supporting their well-being and professional sustainability. 

This study uses a mixed factorial design to compare EmCo dyad training with a waitlist control group at pre-test (T0), mid-test (T1), and post-test (T2). Participants are German school teachers. We recruited 157 participants for the intervention and 91 for the retest control group. A total of 35 participants withdrew from the intervention group in different stages of either onboarding or the intervention, leaving 122 participants remaining. The Intervention The 10-week online EmCo Dyad intervention includes a daily Dyad practice and weekly coaching sessions via a study app. The daily practice involves a 13-minute structured contemplative dialogue which starts with a minute of silence, followed by partners taking turns speaking about a difficult situation in which they felt a difficult emotion and a situation in which they felt gratitude while focusing on the bodily experience of the emotions. The listener is asked to witness their partner’s exploration in a non-judgmental present manner. The session concludes with a final minute of silence. The 1.5h weekly coaching sessions are delivered by expert mindfulness and Dyad teachers to deepen the daily practice. Outcomes Psychological distress was measured using the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21; Norton, 2007) which consists of 21 items measuring the severity of depression, anxiety, and stress in the past week (e.g., "I couldn't seem to experience any positive feeling at all"). Professional burnout was assessed using the Maslach Burnout Inventory - Educators Survey (MBI-ES; Maslach et al., 2001) which focuses on burnout in occupational settings (e.g., “I feel emotionally drained from my work”). It evaluates three key dimensions of burnout: Emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment. Resilience was measured by the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC; Connor & Davidson, 2003) which assesses an individual's ability to cope with adversity and adapt to challenging circumstances (e.g., "I am able to adapt to change"). Underlying Mechanisms To measure the weekly changes, we made use of EMA with selected items from the following questionnaires: Affect (affect grid), difficulties in emotion regulation (DERS; Kaufman et al., 2016), coping strategies (Brief cope; Jermann et al., 2006), mindful awareness (PHLMS; Morgan et al., 2020) and interoceptive self-regulation (MAIA; Mehling et al., 2012).

This study examines the impact of a 10-week online EmCo Dyad training program on the mental health and resilience of schoolteachers in Germany. By comparing an intervention group to a waitlist control group across three time points (pre-test, mid-test, and post-test), the research investigates the efficacy of dyadic contemplative practices in reducing psychological distress and professional burnout while enhancing resilience. The study also explores the cognitive and affective mechanisms driving these changes, including positive affect, emotion regulation, adaptive coping strategies, gratitude, mindful awareness, and interoceptive self-regulation. As expected, participants in the intervention group demonstrated a significant reduction in burnout (β = -0.326, p = .008, Cohen's d = -0.58) and psychological distress (β = -0.125, p = .002, Cohen's d = -0.65) from pre- to post-test, relative to the control group. They also showed a significant increase in resilience over the same period (β = 0.152, p = .001, Cohen's d = 0.73). Notably, this increase in resilience was partially mediated by gratitude (β = -0.03, p = .050), which was assessed through weekly measures. This study contributes to the growing body of evidence supporting mindfulness- and compassion-based interventions in reducing stress and promoting well-being in education. The use of a novel intersubjective dyadic practice format, combining app-based daily contemplative practice with weekly online coaching, represents a novel and scalable approach within the school context. By targeting the unique challenges faced by teachers, the EmCo intervention has the potential to offer scalable and accessible solutions for improving mental health in educational settings.  

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