A mindfulness-based intervention delivered over four weeks to nurses in Jordan significantly reduced stress overload and depression while increasing mindfulness. The randomized controlled trial compared 65 nurses who received the intervention inside a hospital, 60 who received it outside the hospital, and 63 controls. Those in the intervention groups showed lower stress and depression and higher mindfulness than the control group. Delivering the intervention outside the hospital was more effective for improving mindfulness than inside the hospital.
Work-family and family-work conflicts are linked to depressive symptoms in nurses, and mindfulness may help explain this link. A cross-sectional study of 188 nurses in two Jordanian hospitals found that depressive symptoms were negatively associated with both types of role conflict and positively associated with mindfulness. Mindfulness significantly reduced depressive symptoms and mediated the relationship between both forms of role conflict and depressive symptoms. The regression models accounted for 52% of the variance in depressive symptoms. The sample's mean depressive symptom score indicated risk for clinical depression. The findings suggest mindfulness plays a mediating role in how role conflict affects nurses' mental health.
Mindfulness meditation reduced perceived stress and improved mindfulness, emotion regulation, and quality of life in patients with end-stage renal disease undergoing hemodialysis. In a randomized trial with 74 patients, those who practiced 30-minute mindfulness sessions three times a week for five weeks during dialysis showed significantly lower stress and higher trait mindfulness, emotional regulation, and kidney disease-related quality of life compared to a control group that rested with eyes closed. Improvements were evident by the middle and end of the five-week intervention. The findings suggest mindfulness meditation as a practical tool for stress management in hemodialysis settings.