Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program on Job Satisfaction and Psychological Distress of Care Workers for Older Adults.

An 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program (MBSR) increased job satisfaction and reduced psychological distress among Turkish nursing home care workers. In a randomized experiment with 62 participants, those who received MBSR showed improved scores on the Job Satisfaction Scale and Brief Symptom Inventory compared to the control group. The control group's job satisfaction decreased and psychological distress increased over the same period. The study suggests MBSR can help mitigate the adverse psychological effects of working in stressful environments and improve care quality.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Job satisfaction and psychological well-being are critical factors for productivity in nursing homes. This research investigated the effectiveness of the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program (MBSR) on the job satisfaction and psychological distress levels of Turkish care workers for older adults in a nursing home. A pretest-posttest randomized experimental design was carried out with 62 care workers from a nursing home in Turkey. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either the 8-week MBSR or to the control group. The Job Satisfaction Scale and Brief Symptom Inventory were administered to the participants by the researchers before and after the intervention. The findings indicated that the care workers' job satisfaction and psychological well-being were below average. The MBSR program effectively increased job satisfaction and reduced participants' psychological distress in the intervention group. A decrease in job satisfaction and an increase in psychological distress were observed in the control group at posttest. MBSR can help increase the job satisfaction of the care workers, alleviate the psychological adverse effects of working in a stressful environment, and increase the quality of care given in nursing homes.