Nurse Leader Mindfulness Meditation Program for Stress Management
Teri Britt Pipe, Jennifer J. Bortz, Amylou Dueck, Debra Pendergast, Vicki Buchda, Jay Summers
JONA The Journal of Nursing Administration March 1, 2009 DOI: 10.1097/nna.0b013e31819894a0 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 33 |
| Population | Nurse leaders |
| Intervention | Mindfulness meditation course |
| Duration | 4-week intervention, within 1 week of course completion |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Citations | 212 |
| Key findings | A four-week mindfulness meditation course reduced self-reported stress symptoms among nurse leaders more than a leadership course. |
Abstract
Objective: The aim of this study was to rigorously evaluate a brief stress management intervention for nurse leaders.
Background: Despite the nursing shortage, evidence-based workplace approaches addressing nurse stress have not been well studied.
Methods: Nurse leaders (n = 33) were randomly assigned to brief mindfulness meditation course (MMC) or leadership course (control). Self-report measures of stress were administered at baseline and within 1 week of course completion.
Results: Among MMC participants, change scores (from baseline to postintervention) on several subscales of the Symptom Checklist 90-Revised showed significantly more improvement in self-reported stress symptoms relative to controls. Mindfulness meditation course participants had significantly more improvement in Positive Symptom Distress Index (P = 0.010; confidence interval [CI] = -0.483 to -0.073) and Global Severity Index (P = 0.019; CI = -0.475 to -0.046) and nearly significantly more improvement in Positive Symptom Total (P = 0.066; CI = -16.66 to 0.581) compared with controls.
Conclusion: Results support preliminary effectiveness of a 4-week MMC in reducing self-reported stress symptoms among nursing leaders.