Psychiatric nurses in locked inpatient wards who completed an eight-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) programme showed reductions in perceived stress compared with a waitlist control group. The quasi-experimental study assigned 62 nurses from three South Korean teaching hospitals to MBSR or a control condition. The programme included weekly 90-minute group sessions of body scan, sitting meditation, gentle yoga, and mindful movement, plus daily home practice. Outcomes measured at baseline, post-intervention, and 12-week follow-up included the Perceived Stress Scale, emotional exhaustion, and mindful attention. The intervention group's perceived stress decreased by a mean of 4.83 points.
An 8-week mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program adapted for psychiatric nurses in Taipei, Taiwan, substantially reduced perceived stress and emotional exhaustion. At 8 weeks, the MBSR group showed a mean Perceived Stress Scale reduction of 9.1 points (30.9% decrease) compared to 1.8 points in the waitlist control group, with reductions maintained at 3-month follow-up. Emotional exhaustion decreased by 7.3 points in the MBSR group versus 1.1 points in controls. Mindfulness scores increased across all five facets, with the largest gains in non-reactivity and acting with awareness. 78.8% of participants reported a positive effect on patient care quality. The findings support MBSR as a viable occupational health intervention for this population.