Association of psychological and physiological measures of stress in health‐care professionals during an 8‐week mindfulness meditation program: mindfulness in practice
Mary Lou Galantino, Michael J. Baime, Maureen Maguire, Philippe O Szapary, John T Farrar
Stress and Health August 23, 2005 DOI: 10.1002/smi.1062 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Prospective cohort study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Health-care professionals |
| Intervention | Mindfulness meditation |
| Duration | 8-week intervention |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Citations | 216 |
| Key findings | An 8-week mindfulness meditation program did not significantly change salivary cortisol levels but improved self-reported mood and reduced emotional exhaustion in health-care professionals. |
Abstract
Abstract Work stress, burnout, and diminished empathy are prevalent issues for health‐care professionals. Mindfulness meditation (MM) is one commonly used strategy to manage stress. Measuring salivary cortisol allows for the assessment of serum cortisol level, a known stress level indicator. This study evaluated the association of subject‐reported stress symptoms and salivary cortisol in health‐care professionals, in an 8‐week MM program, with data collected prospectively at baseline and 8 weeks after program completion. Questionnaires [Profile of Mood States—Short Form (POMS‐SF), Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), and Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI)] measured mood, burnout and empathy. A paired t ‐test between groups for pre/post‐salivary cortisol yielded no significant change. The POMS‐SF was most sensitive to change (mean increase 12.4; p = 0.020). Emotional exhaustion, measured in the MBI, was also affected by MM (mean decrease 4.54; p = 0.001). Changes in empathy may not have been captured due to either absence of effect of MM on empathy, subject number or scale sensitivity. Baseline and 8‐week correlations between salivary cortisol and survey results, and correlations between changes in these measures, were weak and not statistically significant. Nevertheless, psychometric results present a strong case for additional clinical trials of MM to reduce stress for health‐care professionals. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Undergraduate students | 2006 | Observational cohort | |
| Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders Patients with generalized anxiety disorder or panic disorder with or without agoraphobia | 1992 | Observational cohort | n = 22 |
| Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Participants with extensive Insight meditation experience and matched controls | 2005 | Observational cohort | n = 20 |
| Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Experienced meditators and matched meditation-naive controls | 2011 | Observational cohort | |
| Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice Long-term Buddhist practitioners and controls | 2004 | Observational cohort |
Citations in the library
Cited by 47
- Exploring self‐compassion and empathy in the context of mindfulness‐based stress reduction (MBSR) Stress and Health March 15, 2010
- The Impact of an Innovative Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program on the Health and Well-Being of Nurses Employed in a Corporate Setting Journal of Workplace Behavioral Health April 1, 2013
- Mindfulness and Counseling Self‐Efficacy: The Mediating Role of Attention and Empathy Counselor Education and Supervision September 1, 2009
- Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) for Improving Health, Quality of Life, and Social Functioning in Adults Campbell Systematic Reviews 2012
- Mindfulness‐based stress reduction: A literature review and clinician’s guide Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners April 1, 2008
and 42 more in the library
Cites 9
- Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders American Journal of Psychiatry July 1, 1992
- Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: A New Approach to Preventing Relapse Psychotherapy Research March 1, 2003
- A Randomized, Wait-List Controlled Clinical Trial: The Effect of a Mindfulness Meditation-Based Stress Reduction Program on Mood and Symptoms of Stress in Cancer Outpatients Psychosomatic Medicine September 1, 2000
- Stress Reduction through Mindfulness Meditation Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics February 18, 2010
- Four-Year Follow-Up of a Meditation-Based Program for the Self-Regulation of Chronic Pain Clinical Journal of Pain 1986
and 4 more in the library