Mindfulness meditation and its impact on nurses' professional quality of life in psychiatric wards.
Elham Memar Haghighi Chianeh, Mohammad Ali Khoshnevis, Masoud Sirati Nir, Akram Parandeh
Applied nursing research : ANR April 1, 2026 DOI: 10.1016/j.apnr.2026.152059 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 49 |
| Population | Nurses working in psychiatric wards in Tehran, Iran |
| Intervention | Mindfulness meditation |
| Duration | Four weeks |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Mindfulness meditation Nurse |
| Key findings | Mindfulness meditation training significantly improved compassion satisfaction and reduced burnout and secondary traumatic stress among psychiatric ward nurses. |
Abstract
Given the high levels of occupational stress and compassion fatigue in psychiatric wards, this study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of mindfulness meditation on the professional quality of life of nurses working in these settings in Tehran, Iran. The present study employed a two-group randomized clinical trial with a pretest-posttest design involving 52 nurses randomly assigned to intervention and control groups. The intervention group underwent an eight-session mindfulness meditation training program conducted over four weeks, while the control group received standard in-service education. Data were collected at baseline and post-intervention using validated Professional Quality of Life (ProQOL) instruments. All analyses were performed using SPSS software (version 19). A total of 49 participants completed the study. At baseline, there were no statistically significant differences between the groups in demographic characteristics or outcome variables. After the intervention, the intervention group showed significant improvements in compassion satisfaction (t = -5.19, p < 0.001), and significant reductions in burnout (t = 2.61, p = 0.01) and secondary traumatic stress (t = 3.62, p = 0.021), compared to the control group. Mindfulness meditation effectively enhanced the professional quality of life among nurses in psychiatric wards. Considering its ease of implementation, lack of side effects, and proven benefits, it is recommended that nursing managers and healthcare policymakers incorporate mindfulness-based programs into periodic training, especially in high-stress environments such as psychiatric care settings. IRCT20240506061683N1. Registration date: 2024-05-21.
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
Cites 8
- Brief Mindfulness Meditation Improves Emotion Processing Frontiers in Neuroscience October 10, 2019
- Efficacy of Transcendental Meditation to Reduce Stress Among Health Care Workers: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Network Open September 1, 2022
- The effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions on the psychological well-being of nurses: A systematic review. Applied Nursing Research 2022
- The Effects of Mindfulness Meditation on Stress and Burnout in Nurses Journal of Holistic Nursing May 17, 2021
- Meditation interventions efficiently reduce cortisol levels of at-risk samples: a meta-analysis Health Psychology Review July 7, 2020
and 3 more in the library