Impact of Mindfulness Meditation on Perceived Stress, Somatic Symptoms and Inflammatory Biomarkers Among Clinical Nurses.

An eight-week mindfulness meditation program reduced perceived stress, somatic symptoms, and the inflammatory biomarkers interleukin-6 and leptin in nurses, compared to a non-meditation group. Trait mindfulness increased, while tumor necrosis factor-α levels did not change. The findings suggest mindfulness meditation can improve both psychological and physical well-being in high-stress healthcare environments.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Clinical nurses face notable chronic stress due to work-related stressors, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to somatic symptoms and low-grade inflammation. Mindfulness meditation has shown promise in reducing stress and improving health outcomes, but its effects on somatic symptoms and inflammatory biomarkers in nurses remain underexplored. To assess the impact of mindfulness meditation on somatic symptoms and inflammatory biomarkers such as leptin, interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α among nurses. To explore the secondary effects on perceived stress and trait mindfulness because of the complex interlinked association with the primary outcomes of interest. A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 102 nurses randomly assigned to a meditation group (8-week mindfulness meditation program) or a non-meditation group. Data were collected using self-report questionnaires (Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale, Perceived Stress Scale, Patient Health Questionnaire-15) and blood samples for biomarker analysis at baseline and post-intervention. The meditation group demonstrated notable reductions in perceived stress (p < 0.001), somatic symptoms (p < 0.001), IL-6 (p < 0.001), and leptin levels (p < 0.001) compared to the non-meditation group. Trait mindfulness increased markedly in the meditation group (p = 0.003), while TNF-α levels did not show notable changes. Mindfulness meditation efficiently reduces perceived stress, somatic symptoms, and inflammatory biomarkers in nurses, highlighting its potential as a holistic intervention to improve both psychological and physical well-being in high-stress healthcare environments. ClinicalTrail.gove, NCT06635278.