000150503 001__ 150503 000150503 005__ 20251017144640.0 000150503 0247_ $$2doi$$a10.2196/59653 000150503 0248_ $$2sideral$$a142579 000150503 037__ $$aART-2025-142579 000150503 041__ $$aeng 000150503 100__ $$0(orcid)0000-0002-1690-4130$$aLópez-del-Hoyo, Yolanda$$uUniversidad de Zaragoza 000150503 245__ $$aEffectiveness of an online self-guided intervention (MINDxYOU) for reducing stress and promoting mental health among health professionals: results from a stepped wedge cluster-randomized trial (Preprint) 000150503 260__ $$c2025 000150503 5060_ $$aAccess copy available to the general public$$fUnrestricted 000150503 5203_ $$aBackground: The high levels of sustained stress that health professionals often experience are a significant risk factor for developing mental health problems, such as anxiety, depression, and somatic symptoms, that not only affect their well-being but also have major social and organizational consequences. Different interventions, including those based on third-wave psychotherapy principles (ie, mindfulness, compassion, and acceptance), have proven to be effective in reducing stress in this population. Among them, those delivered on the web constitute a promising alternative with notable advantages in accessibility and flexibility, but some adherence inconveniences may limit their efficacy. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the MINDxYOU program, a web-based self-guided intervention based on third-wave psychotherapy principles, to reduce perceived stress and promote mental health in a sample of health professionals. Methods: In a stepped-wedge cluster randomized design, 357 health professionals from health centers in Aragon and Málaga, Spain, were recruited. They were divided into 6 clusters—3 per region—and randomly assigned to 1 of the 3 sequences, each starting with a control phase and then transitioning to the intervention phase (the MINDxYOU program) after 8, 16, or 24 weeks. This self-guided, web-based program, designed to be completed over 8 weeks, included weekly contact (via WhatsApp, call, or email) from the research team to promote adherence. Participants were assessed on the web every 8 weeks for 5 assessments. Perceived stress was the study’s primary outcome, with additional measures of clinical factors (anxiety, depression, and somatization) and process variables (resilience, mindfulness, compassion, and acceptance). Results: The program was initiated by 229 participants, 112 (48.9%) of whom were completers (ie, completed at least 3 of the 4 modules). Perceived stress demonstrated a significant reduction both when considering the entire sample (β=–1.08, SE 0.51; P=.03) and the sample of completers (β=–1.84, SE 0.62; P=.003). The proportion of participants reflecting “low stress” increased after the treatment (n=90, 46.6% vs n=100, 28.8% at baseline). Intracluster analysis revealed that pre- versus postintervention moderate effects were present in 2 clusters (Cohen d=0.46 and 0.62), and these were maintained in subsequent assessments. The linear mixed-effects models also showed that depression, anxiety, and somatization, as well as resilience, self-compassion, and some mindfulness facets, experienced significant improvements (P<.05) when comparing the intervention and control phases. Conclusions: The MINDxYOU program was effective in reducing perceived stress and promoting mental health, as well as increasing resilience, mindfulness facets, and self-compassion. These effects suggest that participants experienced a tangible improvement that could potentially enhance their well-being. Adherence to the intervention was moderate, while program use was notable compared to similar interventions. Finding ways to promote adherence to the intervention would contribute to increasing the effectiveness of this program 000150503 536__ $$9info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/ISCIII/PI21-01328$$9info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/ISCIII/PI21-01338 000150503 540__ $$9info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess$$aby$$uhttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.es 000150503 655_4 $$ainfo:eu-repo/semantics/article$$vinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion 000150503 700__ $$aFernández-Martínez, Selene$$uUniversidad de Zaragoza 000150503 700__ $$aPerez-Aranda, Adrian 000150503 700__ $$0(orcid)0000-0003-2088-2007$$aMonreal-Bartolomé, Alicia$$uUniversidad de Zaragoza 000150503 700__ $$0(orcid)0000-0002-2116-9257$$aBarceló-Soler, Alberto$$uUniversidad de Zaragoza 000150503 700__ $$0(orcid)0009-0009-0106-7673$$aCamarero-Grados, Loreto$$uUniversidad de Zaragoza 000150503 700__ $$aArmas-Landaeta, Carilene 000150503 700__ $$aGuzmán-Parra, José 000150503 700__ $$aCarbonell, Vera 000150503 700__ $$0(orcid)0000-0001-9903-4064$$aCampos, Daniel$$uUniversidad de Zaragoza 000150503 700__ $$aChen, Xinyuan 000150503 700__ $$0(orcid)0000-0002-3797-4218$$aGarcía-Campayo, Javier$$uUniversidad de Zaragoza 000150503 7102_ $$14009$$2730$$aUniversidad de Zaragoza$$bDpto. Psicología y Sociología$$cÁrea Psicología Básica 000150503 7102_ $$11007$$2745$$aUniversidad de Zaragoza$$bDpto. Medicina, Psiqu. y Derm.$$cArea Psiquiatría 000150503 7102_ $$14009$$2735$$aUniversidad de Zaragoza$$bDpto. Psicología y Sociología$$cÁrea Psicolog.Evolut.Educac 000150503 773__ $$g27 (2025), e59653 [18 pp.]$$pJMIR, J. med. internet res.$$tJournal of Medical Internet Research$$x1438-8871 000150503 8564_ $$s585147$$uhttps://zaguan.unizar.es/record/150503/files/texto_completo.pdf$$yVersión publicada 000150503 8564_ $$s2316042$$uhttps://zaguan.unizar.es/record/150503/files/texto_completo.jpg?subformat=icon$$xicon$$yVersión publicada 000150503 909CO $$ooai:zaguan.unizar.es:150503$$particulos$$pdriver 000150503 951__ $$a2025-10-17-14:31:30 000150503 980__ $$aARTICLE