Are Mindfulness and Self-Compassion Associated with Sleep and Resilience in Health Professionals?
Kathi J Kemper, Xiaokui Mo, Rami Khayat
The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine June 2, 2015 DOI: 10.1089/acm.2014.0281 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional survey Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 213 |
| Population | Young health professionals and trainees (clinicians and trainees) at a large Midwestern academic health center; average age 28 years, 73% female; professions included dieticians (11%), nurses (14%), physicians (38%), social workers (24%), and other (12%) |
| Measures | 8-item PROMIS Sleep scale, 6-item Brief Resilience Scale, 10-item Cognitive and Affective Mindfulness Scale, Revised, 12-item Self-Compassion Scale, PROMIS Global Health measures, 10-item Perceived Stress Scale |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Humans Cross-sectional studies Empathy Sleep Health personnel Midwestern united states Female Resilience, psychological Young adult |
| Key findings | Sleep disturbances were most strongly correlated with perceived stress and poorer health, and also with less mindfulness and self-compassion. Resilience was strongly correlated with less stress, better mental health, and more mindfulness and self-compassion. The authors conclude that sleep and resilience are correlated with both mindfulness and self-compassion, but the direction of these relationships remains undetermined. |
Abstract
Objectives: To describe the relationship between trainable qualities (mindfulness and self-compassion), with factors conceptually related to burnout and quality of care (sleep and resilience) in young health professionals and trainees.
Design: Cross-sectional survey.
Setting: Large Midwestern academic health center.
Participants: 213 clinicians and trainees. Outcome measures: Sleep and resilience were assessed by using the 8-item PROMIS Sleep scale and the 6-item Brief Resilience Scale. Mindfulness and self-compassion were assessed using the 10-item Cognitive and Affective Mindfulness Scale, Revised and the 12-item Self-Compassion Scale. Health was assessed with Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Global Health measures, and stress was assessed with the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale. After examination of descriptive statistics and Pearson correlations, multiple regression analyses were done to determine whether mindfulness and self-compassion were associated with better sleep and resilience.
Results: Respondents had an average age of 28 years; 73% were female. Professions included dieticians (11%), nurses (14%), physicians (38%), social workers (24%), and other (12%). Univariate analyses showed normative values for all variables. Sleep disturbances were significantly and most strongly correlated with perceived stress and poorer health, but also with less mindfulness and self-compassion. Resilience was strongly and significantly correlated with less stress and better mental health, more mindfulness, and more self-compassion.
Conclusions: In these young health professionals and trainees, sleep and resilience are correlated with both mindfulness and self-compassion. Prospective studies are needed to determine whether training to increase mindfulness and self-compassion can improve clinicians' sleep and resilience or whether decreasing sleep disturbances and building resilience improves mindfulness and compassion.
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
Cited by 12
- The Effectiveness of a Neurofeedback-Assisted Mindfulness Training Program Using a Mobile App on Stress Reduction in Employees: Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR mHealth and uHealth October 3, 2023
- Programas basados en mindfulness para el tratamiento de la fatiga por compasión en personal sanitario: una revisión Terapia psicológica August 1, 2018
- Effects of mindfulness meditation training offered in-person and via a virtual world on self-compassion: A study with U.S. military active duty and veterans. Work 2024
- Exploring the Role of Mindfulness as a Potential Self-Management Strategy for Physiotherapy Students when on Clinical Placement International Journal of Practice-based Learning in Health and Social Care December 1, 2017
- Effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions on burnout and self-compassion among critical care nurses caring for patients with COVID-19: a quasi-experimental study. BMC Nursing September 6, 2023
and 7 more in the library
Cites 8
- Association of an Educational Program in Mindful Communication With Burnout, Empathy, and Attitudes Among Primary Care Physicians JAMA September 22, 2009
- The Effects of Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction on Nurse Stress and Burnout Holistic Nursing Practice November 1, 2004
- A Randomized Controlled Trial of Mindfulness Meditation for Chronic Insomnia Sleep August 29, 2014
- How mindfulness changed my sleep: focus groups with chronic insomnia patients. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine February 10, 2014
- Polysomnographic and subjective profiles of sleep continuity before and after mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in partially remitted depression. Psychosomatic Medicine July 2010
and 3 more in the library