Effectiveness of Positive Psychology and Meditation Interventions on Nurses’ Wellbeing and Patient Care: An Enhanced Cluster Randomised-Controlled Trial
Anya Johnson, Helena Nguyen, F. Huppert, Shanta Dey, G. Fairbrother, Nickolas Yu
Mindfulness March 28, 2026 DOI: 10.1007/s12671-026-02798-7 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial with waitlist control, enhanced by qualitative interviews and patient experience assessments Preregistered Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 328 |
| Population | 247 nurses/midwives and 81 patients from 52 medical/surgical hospital wards |
| Interventions | Meditation wellness and compassion intervention Positive psychology wellness and compassion intervention |
| Duration | Three full-day workshops over 4–6 weeks, with follow-up at 6 months |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Both interventions improved nurse wellbeing and self-compassion versus waitlist control, with the meditation intervention also reducing avoidance of uncomfortable experiences; improvements persisted at 6 months. Patients of meditation-intervention nurses reported greater compassionate care, while patients of positive psychology-intervention nurses reported greater confidence in care. |
Abstract
Nurses provide care for patients, often putting patients’ needs above their own and there is an urgent need to identify evidence-based ways of supporting both nurse wellbeing and patient care. We evaluated a meditation wellness and compassion intervention and a positive psychology wellness and compassion intervention. We used a randomised controlled trial design (with waitlist control) enhanced by qualitative interviews and patient experience assessments with 247 nurses/midwives and 81 patients from 52 medical/surgical hospital wards. The interventions involved three full-day workshops over 4–6 weeks. The meditation intervention focused on cultivating mindfulness, kindness, compassion and self-compassion. The positive psychology intervention focused on enhancing skills such as goal setting and aligning strengths and values. We used a multi-source, multi-method approach with repeated measures to provide a comprehensive evaluation of both interventions. Improvements in the nurses’ wellbeing and self-compassion were found for both interventions, compared to a waitlist control, with the meditation intervention also reducing avoidance of uncomfortable experiences. All improvements were maintained at 6 months. Nurses’ practice of techniques was associated with better outcomes. Patients of nurses in the meditation intervention reported greater compassionate care, whereas patients of nurses in the positive psychology intervention reported greater confidence in care. From interviews we found a focus on physical wellbeing and greater awareness of the body in the meditation intervention and a focus on knowledge and skills in the positive psychology intervention. There is evidence to support both wellbeing and compassion interventions, and integrating the two may be an effective way forward. The study was pre-registered with Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12617000677303).
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 13
- Mindfulness Interventions Annual Review of Psychology September 30, 2016
- Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Health Care Professionals: Results From a Randomized Trial. International Journal of Stress Management May 1, 2005
- A randomized controlled trial of mindfulness meditation versus relaxation training: Effects on distress, positive states of mind, rumination, and distraction Annals of Behavioral Medicine February 1, 2007
- Teaching self-care to caregivers: Effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction on the mental health of therapists in training. Training and Education in Professional Psychology May 1, 2007
- Contemplating Mindfulness at Work Journal of Management November 19, 2015
and 8 more in the library