The Impact of Loving-Kindness Meditation on Job-Related Burnout of Nurses Working in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: A Randomized Clinical Trial Study.
Fatemeh Asadollah, Lida Nikfarid, Manijeh Nourian, Fatemeh Hashemi
Holistic Nursing Practice DOI: 10.1097/HNP.0000000000000657 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Clustered controlled randomized clinical trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 66 |
| Population | NICU nurses from two referral children hospitals in Tehran |
| Intervention | Loving-kindness meditation |
| Duration | 1-month intervention |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Citations | 4 |
| Key findings | Loving-kindness meditation significantly reduced job-related burnout in NICU nurses compared to a control group. |
Abstract
Job-related burnout is one health outcome in nurses working in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) due to the heavy workload, which results in negative physical and psychological consequences. One newly introduced approach to improve coping is loving-kindness meditation (LKM). Some studies have shown the effectiveness of the LKM on the mental health of nurses, though more evidence is required to support them. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of the LKM on job-related burnout of nurses working in NICU. This clustered controlled randomized clinical trial assessed job-related burnout before and after a month of practicing LKM guided through a virtual method. A total of 66 eligible NICU nurses from 2 referral children hospitals in Tehran were randomly assigned to 2 control (n = 33) and intervention (n = 33) groups. The intervention was performed 3 times a week for 1 month in the form of 20-minute audio files of LKM for the intervention group, and educational files on mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic were sent to the control group. The instruments used in this study were the demographic information questionnaire and the Maslach Burnout Inventory, which participants completed before and after the intervention. The mean difference in the overall scores of burnout before and after the intervention in the intervention group was significantly reduced (P = .003), but no significant difference was observed in the control group (P = .018). These findings support the benefit of LKM in NICU nurses in reducing burnout.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation Healthy employees in a work environment | 2003 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 41 |
| Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2000 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 145 |
| Open hearts build lives: Positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. Working adults | 2008 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 139 |
| Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Undergraduate Chinese students | 2007 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 40 |
| Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: Replication and Exploration of Differential Relapse Prevention Effects. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2004 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 73 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 2
- Effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions on burnout, resilience and sleep quality among nurses: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. BMC Nursing July 1, 2025
- Effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions on psychosocial well-being and occupational-related outcomes among nurses in the intensive care unit: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Australian critical care : official journal of the Confederation of Australian Critical Care Nurses July 1, 2025
Cites 20
- Open hearts build lives: Positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology October 27, 2008
- Loving-kindness and compassion meditation: potential for psychological interventions. Clinical Psychology Review July 26, 2011
- Effects of mindful-attention and compassion meditation training on amygdala response to emotional stimuli in an ordinary, non-meditative state Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2012
- The effect of loving-kindness meditation on positive emotions: a meta-analytic review Frontiers in Psychology November 3, 2015
- Loving‐Kindness Meditation for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Pilot Study Journal of Traumatic Stress July 25, 2013
and 15 more in the library