Workaholism, Mindfulness, and Work-Related Quality of Life Among Nursing Educators in Saudi Nursing Colleges: A Multisite Cross-Sectional Study.
Daniel Joseph E Berdida
International Journal of Mental Health Nursing August 1, 2026 DOI: 10.1111/inm.70306 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Multisite observational cross-sectional correlational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Nursing educators from four nursing colleges in Saudi Arabia |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Humans Cross-sectional studies Behavior, addictive Quality of life Faculty, nursing Adult Middle aged Saudi arabia Female Workaholism Nursing educators |
| Key findings | Workaholism was negatively associated with work-related quality of life and with mindfulness, and mindfulness was positively associated with work-related quality of life; mindfulness statistically mediated part of the workaholism-WRQoL association. Workaholism explained 17.10% of the variance in mindfulness, and workaholism and mindfulness together explained 46.60% of the variance in WRQoL. |
Abstract
Workaholism has been widely examined among employees across occupational groups, but limited empirical evidence is available on its association with work-related quality of life (WRQoL) among nursing educators. This study examined whether mindfulness statistically mediated the association between workaholism and WRQoL among nursing educators. A multisite observational study using a cross-sectional and correlational design was conducted among nursing educators from four nursing colleges in Saudi Arabia using consecutive and snowball sampling. Between February and July 2025, data were collected using three validated self-report scales. Structural equation modelling, mediation analysis, and path analysis were used to examine the hypothesised associations among the study variables. Workaholism was negatively associated with WRQoL (βD = -0.46, 95% CI = -0.63 to -0.29, p = 0.004) and mindfulness (βD = -0.41, 95% CI = -0.56 to -0.21, p = 0.004). Mindfulness was positively associated with WRQoL (βD = 0.35, 95% CI = 0.16 to 0.52, p = 0.004). A statistically significant indirect association was observed between workaholism and WRQoL through mindfulness, consistent with statistical mediation (βI = -0.15, 95% CI = -0.24 to -0.05, p = 0.004). In the final model, workaholism accounted for 17.10% of the variance in mindfulness, whereas workaholism and mindfulness together accounted for 46.60% of the variance in WRQoL. These findings suggest that higher workaholism is associated with lower mindfulness and WRQoL, while higher mindfulness is associated with better WRQoL among nursing educators. Although causal conclusions cannot be drawn and generalisability is limited by the non-probability sample, the results may inform institutional strategies in similar nursing education settings that address workaholic tendencies and support mindfulness-informed approaches to educator well-being.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples Experienced meditators and nonmeditating comparison groups | 2008 | Cross-sectional study | |
| Neural Correlates of Dispositional Mindfulness During Affect Labeling Adult participants | 2007 | Observational cross-sectional | n = 27 |
| Assessing mindfulness in children and adolescents: Development and validation of the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM). School-aged children and adolescents | 2011 | Cross-sectional validation study | n = 1,413 |
| Mindfulness and self-compassion as predictors of psychological wellbeing in long-term meditators and matched nonmeditators Experienced meditators and demographically matched nonmeditators | 2012 | Cross-sectional study | n = 152 |
| Mechanisms of Action in the Inverse Relationship Between Mindfulness and Psychological Distress Undergraduates | 2008 | Cross-sectional, correlational |
Citations in the library
Cites 4
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- The influence of mindfulness-based stress reduction on the work life of healthcare professionals - A qualitative study. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice October 1, 2023
- Mindfulness buffers the deleterious effects of workaholism for work-family conflict. Social science & medicine (1982) June 7, 2022