During the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare professionals faced high work-related stress that harmed their mental health and patient care. An 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program, tested in a randomized controlled trial, reduced cortisol levels in the short term and improved attention and awareness, with benefits lasting through follow-up. Medium to medium-large effects on job strain and emotional fatigue were observed but did not reach statistical significance, and perceived stress changed negligibly. The variability in stress responses suggests personalized mindfulness approaches may be needed. MBSR shows promise for improving attention and reducing physiological stress markers, though effects on other occupational outcomes remain uncertain.
An 8-week mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program lowered perceived stress, anxiety, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, salivary cortisol, and the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and IL-8, while increasing awareness and plasma carotenoid levels in 42 adult volunteers. Changes in stress and anxiety correlated with changes in IL-8 and awareness. The program appears to reduce nervous system activation and cortisol, thereby lowering inflammation and oxidative stress, which may help manage hypertension and other stress-related conditions.
An 8-week mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) training program alters functional and effective connectivity in the dorsal striatum, particularly the putamen, in healthy individuals. After training, local connectivity decreased in the right anterior putamen and insula during spontaneous mind-wandering and in the right cerebellum during meditation. Effective connectivity analysis showed reduced modulation by the anterior cingulate cortex over the anterior putamen and a change in excitatory and inhibitory interactions between the posterior putamen and cerebellum. These connectivity rearrangements may help explain mindfulness-related behavioral effects, especially in pain perception.