Mindfulness in nursing students: enhancing well-being through breath practices
Denise Mary Costa Gomes, Jaqueline Costa Reis, Sandy Sena Oliveira Raymundo, Marina Campos, Wagner Alves de Souza Júdice
Contribuciones a las Ciencias Sociales June 5, 2024 DOI: 10.55905/revconv.17n.6-032 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Pre-post study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 45 |
| Population | Seventh-semester nursing undergraduates |
| Intervention | Breathing and mindfulness meditation techniques |
| Duration | Three months |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Education |
| Key points | Breathing and mindfulness meditation techniques were associated with improvements in focus, quality of life, attention, anxiety, attendance, and academic performance in nursing undergraduates. |
Abstract
The present study aimed to assess focus/concentration, perception of quality of life, class attention, and anxiety, as well as class attendance and academic performance of nursing undergraduates from a Higher Education Institution before and after the application of breathing and mindfulness meditation techniques. Forty-five seventh-semester (fourth-year) students of both genders, aged 18 and above, participated in the study. The technique was applied for three months through breathing and meditation practices in the classroom. For data collection, a structured questionnaire with four closed-ended questions was used, administered before and after the training sessions. The overall results of the indicators showed that the undergraduates demonstrated a 32.6% improvement in focus/concentration, a 32.4% improvement in perceived quality of life post-training. Regarding class attention, there was a 25.7% increase. An improvement of 44% was observed in anxiety levels, along with a 27% increase in class attendance (reduced absenteeism), and a 74% enhancement in academic performance. The students showed significant improvements in all indicators related to focus/concentration, quality of life, anxiety levels, absenteeism, and academic performance after learning and practicing some breathing and mindfulness meditation techniques. These data underscore the importance of integrating mindfulness approaches in the educational context, contributing to the development of undergraduates.
Comparable studies
Other non-randomized and open-label trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in Relation to Quality of Life, Mood, Symptoms of Stress, and Immune Parameters in Breast and Prostate Cancer Outpatients Early-stage breast and prostate cancer patients | 2003 | Pre-post intervention study | n = 59 |
| Exploring self‐compassion and empathy in the context of mindfulness‐based stress reduction (MBSR) Community sample | 2010 | Pre-post intervention study | |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Lowers Psychological Distress In Medical Students Second-year medical students | 2003 | Prospective nonrandomized cohort-controlled study | n = 302 |
| Intensive meditation training, immune cell telomerase activity, and psychological mediators. Retreat participants and matched controls | 2011 | Controlled trial with wait-list control group | n = 60 |
| The Effectiveness of Mindfulness Training for Children with ADHD and Mindful Parenting for their Parents Children aged 8-12 with ADHD and their parents | 2011 | Within-group waitlist controlled trial | n = 22 |
Citations in the library
Cites 11
- The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2003
- Mindfulness‐based approaches: are they all the same? Journal of Clinical Psychology January 19, 2011
- Neural correlates of mindfulness meditation-related anxiety relief Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience April 24, 2013
- Change in Brainstem Gray Matter Concentration Following a Mindfulness-Based Intervention is Correlated with Improvement in Psychological Well-Being Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2014
- A Systematic Review of Transcendent States Across Meditation and Contemplative Traditions. Explore 2018
and 6 more in the library