Mindfulness-Based Interventions to Implement the Psychological Well-Being of Nursing Students: A Scoping Review.
Milena Consorte, Elena Morotti, Fabio Nanni, Alessandro Giannandrea, Stefano Benini, Monica Martoni
Healthcare January 4, 2026 DOI: 10.3390/healthcare14010130 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Scoping review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Nursing students (undergraduate, pre-licensure) |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Empathy Mindful self- compassion Pre-licensure Psychological well-being Resilience Satisfaction Self-efficacy Undergraduate nursing students |
| Citations | 1 |
| Key findings | Mindfulness-based interventions for nursing students show potential to reduce stress and anxiety and improve self-efficacy and empathy, but the evidence is heterogeneous and further systematic review is needed. |
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Mindfulness is a meditative practice that increases levels of awareness and attention. Introducing this practice into the curricula of nursing students could improve the relationship with patients and promote students' well-being. This scoping review aims to map the literature on mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) administered to nursing students to promote their psychological well-being.
Methods: The review was conducted according to Peters' framework. PCC eligibility criteria were used. The PCC mnemonic stands for Population (nursing students), Concept (mindfulness-based interventions applied with positive and negative outcomes for psychological well-being), and Context (undergraduate, pre-licensure). The search was conducted in March 2024 by consulting PubMed, ERIC (Ovid), CINAHL (EBSCOhost), PsycINFO (Ovid), and ProQuest databases. Additional sources have been identified from Google Scholar.
Results: Of the 763 articles that emerged, 55 were included in the scoping review. The interventions depicted are heterogeneous in terms of content and timing. The most investigated outcomes remain stress and anxiety; self-efficacy and empathy emerge as positive indicators of psychological well-being. In the post-COVID period, there is an increase in the online delivery method.
Conclusions: In order to provide guidance for practice and institutional policies, future research could focus on a systematic review that identifies the most appropriate MBIs for the well-being of nursing students. In addition, it would be useful to conduct feasibility studies to introduce structured mindfulness-based practices into the nursing degree programmes, with standardized and adaptable pathways tailored to the needs of different academic realities.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention: A conceptual and empirical review. Clinical populations | 2003 | Review | |
| Mindfulness: Theoretical Foundations and Evidence for its Salutary Effects | 2007 | Review | |
| Mindfulness Interventions | 2016 | Review | |
| Mind the Hype: A Critical Evaluation and Prescriptive Agenda for Research on Mindfulness and Meditation | 2017 | Review | |
| Mindfulness and acceptance: expanding the cognitive-behavioral tradition | 2005 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cites 16
- The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2003
- Effectiveness and experiences of integrating Mindfulness into Peer-assisted Learning (PAL) in clinical education for nursing students: A mixed method study. Nurse Education Today 2024
- Examining the Occurrence and Clinical Impact of Difficult Experiences that Emerge during a Mindfulness-Based Intervention among Individuals at High-Risk of Suicide. Mindfulness June 18, 2024
- The effect of a brief mindfulness-based stress reduction program on strengthening awareness of medical errors and risks among nursing students. Nurse Education in Practice July 2023
- Mindfulness for stress and anxiety management in nursing students in a clinical simulation: A quasi-experimental study. Nurse Education in Practice December 1, 2022
and 11 more in the library