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Online and In-Person Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Improves Stress Resilience in Nursing Education.

Rebecca A. Schwartz‐Mette, Maile Sapp, Kelley Strout

Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing June 1, 2025 DOI: 10.1111/wvn.70031 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Non-randomized clinical trial Peer reviewed
Sample size 146
Population Nursing students and faculty/staff at a university-based nursing school
Intervention Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)
Topics Meditation
Keywords Burnout Faculty Mindfulness‐based stress reduction Nursing students Resilience Staff Wellness
Citations 7
Key findings MBSR reduced perceived stress, exhaustion, and total burnout and increased positive affect and two mindfulness skills, with similar effects across modality and subpopulation.

Abstract

Evidence-based interventions (EBI) can reduce nursing burnout and improve retention and healthcare quality. Nursing school is an ideal time to implement EBI to mitigate burnout and increase resilience in pre-professional populations. The current study tested whether Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) significantly improved stress, burnout, and wellness in a university-based nursing school. Using a non-randomized clinical trial design, multilevel modeling for repeated measures tested intervention effects over time in MBSR participants (n = 73) and matched controls (n = 73), as well as potential moderation of intervention effects by modality (online vs. in-person MBSR) and subpopulation (students vs. faculty/staff). MBSR effectively reduced perceived stress, exhaustion, and total burnout and increased positive affect and frequency of using two key mindfulness skills: observing and nonreactivity. No significant effects of the intervention were observed for disengagement from work, satisfaction with life, negative affect, or the mindfulness skills of describing, acting with awareness, and nonjudgment. Effects were similar across modality and subpopulation. MBSR increases stress resilience and can be delivered effectively online and in person. Moreover, MBSR appears equally impactful for nursing students and faculty/staff. Implications for integrating EBI into schools of nursing to improve well-being are discussed.

Comparable studies

Other non-randomized and open-label trials on meditation, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in Relation to Quality of Life, Mood, Symptoms of Stress, and Immune Parameters in Breast and Prostate Cancer Outpatients Early-stage breast and prostate cancer patients 2003 Pre-post intervention study n = 59
Exploring self‐compassion and empathy in the context of mindfulness‐based stress reduction (MBSR) Community sample 2010 Pre-post intervention study
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Lowers Psychological Distress In Medical Students Second-year medical students 2003 Prospective nonrandomized cohort-controlled study n = 302
Intensive meditation training, immune cell telomerase activity, and psychological mediators. Retreat participants and matched controls 2011 Controlled trial with wait-list control group n = 60
The Effectiveness of Mindfulness Training for Children with ADHD and Mindful Parenting for their Parents Children aged 8-12 with ADHD and their parents 2011 Within-group waitlist controlled trial n = 22

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