Effect of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Intervention on Undergraduate Nursing Students’ Stress

Abstract

Introduction: Stress is a global phenomenon that significantly affects the academic performance and well-being of students. Nursing, being a demanding and high-stake profession, exposes students to considerable stress during their academic and clinical training. Effective interventions such as Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) can play a vital role in alleviating stress and enhancing coping abilities.

Objectives: The study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of MBSR in reducing stress and improving well-being among undergraduate nursing students. Additionally, it sought to examine whether demographic factors such as age, educational background, and region can influence post-intervention stress outcomes. Methodology: A quasi-experimental one-group pretest–posttest design was adopted. Universal sampling was used to recruit 80 second-year undergraduate nursing students from the College of Nursing, AFPGMI Rawalpindi, who had recently commenced clinical rotations. Stress was measured using the stress subscale of the DASS-42 (14 items) at baseline, post-intervention, and one-month follow-up. The 8-week MBSR program, developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn, included mindfulness meditation, yoga, and body scan practices. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, repeated measure ANOVA, independent sample t-test, and ANOVA.

Results: Findings demonstrated a significant reduction in stress across time (pre-intervention, post-intervention, and follow-up) as measured by repeated-measures ANOVA (p < 0.001). No significant differences were found across demographic variables (p > 0.05), indicating uniform effectiveness of MBSR. The results suggest both immediate and sustained benefits of the intervention.

Conclusion: MBSR was found to be an effective strategy for stress reduction and well-being enhancement among nursing students, irrespective of demographic differences. Integration of structured mindfulness programs into nursing curricula may strengthen resilience, improve academic and clinical performance, and prepare students for future professional challenges.