Mindfulness and academic performance among nursing students in Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional study.
Darin Mansor Mathkor
Scientific Reports July 28, 2025 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-11911-0 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 276 |
| Population | Nursing graduate students at Jazan University, Saudi Arabia |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Attentional capacity Cognitive skills Nursing students |
| Citations | 3 |
| Key findings | Higher mindfulness scores, particularly in the facets of acting with awareness, describing, and observing, were positively associated with higher GPA among nursing students. |
Abstract
Mindfulness has recently gained attention in academia for its potential to improve cognitive performance, collaboration and mental well-being. This study aimed to assess mindfulness levels among Saudi nursing graduate students and examine their association with grade point average (GPA) scores in academic examinations. This cross-sectional study used the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) to assess mindfulness levels among 276 nursing students (225 females, 51 males) enrolled at Jazan University, Saudi Arabia, just before their mid-semester exams in February 2024. The results showed an average mindfulness score of 121.0 (SD = 10.2), with higher mindfulness scores positively associated with GPA. Key mindfulness facets linked to higher GPA included “acting with awareness” (β = 0.248, CI = 0.133, 0.363, p < 0.001), “describing” (β = 0.389, CI = 0.279, 0.499, p < 0.001), and “observing” (β = 0.154, CI = 0.036, 0.272, p = 0.011). These associations remained significant after adjusting for demographics such as age, sex, marital status, residential area, family income, living with family or in a hostel, and academic level. However, the “non-reactive” and “non-judging” facets showed no association with GPA in both adjusted and unadjusted models (p = 0.134 and 0.728, respectively). The study found that mindfulness levels among Saudi nursing students were moderate, with higher mindfulness scores linked to better academic performance. Regular mindfulness practice may enhance students’ well-being, cognitive abilities, focus, and learning strategies. These findings could guide healthcare educators in integrating mindfulness practices to support mental health and academic success among nursing and other healthcare students.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples Experienced meditators and nonmeditating comparison groups | 2008 | Cross-sectional study | |
| Neural Correlates of Dispositional Mindfulness During Affect Labeling Adult participants | 2007 | Observational cross-sectional | n = 27 |
| Assessing mindfulness in children and adolescents: Development and validation of the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM). School-aged children and adolescents | 2011 | Cross-sectional validation study | n = 1,413 |
| Mindfulness and self-compassion as predictors of psychological wellbeing in long-term meditators and matched nonmeditators Experienced meditators and demographically matched nonmeditators | 2012 | Cross-sectional study | n = 152 |
| Mechanisms of Action in the Inverse Relationship Between Mindfulness and Psychological Distress Undergraduates | 2008 | Cross-sectional, correlational |
Citations in the library
Cited by 2
Cites 8
- Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Assessment January 27, 2006
- Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice 2004
- Mindfulness-based interventions: an overall review British Medical Bulletin April 21, 2021
- A mindfulness-based intervention to increase resilience to stress in university students (the Mindful Student Study): a pragmatic randomised controlled trial The Lancet Public Health December 18, 2017
- Six-year positive effects of a mindfulness-based intervention on mindfulness, coping and well-being in medical and psychology students; Results from a randomized controlled trial PLoS One April 24, 2018
and 3 more in the library