Effects of mindfulness-based interventions on reducing psychological distress among nurses: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to examine the effects of mindfulness-based interventions on reducing stress, anxiety, and depression among nurses.
Results Summary
The study found that mindfulness-based interventions significantly alleviated stress (pooled SMD: -0.50) and depression (pooled SMD: -0.42) among nurses, though the effect on anxiety was not statistically significant.
Population
Nurses
Effective Dosage
Not specified
Duration
Not specified
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
mindfulness-based interventions | decrease | stress | nurses | pooled SMD: -0.50 [95% CI: -0.82 to -0.18]; p < 0.001 | appeared to alleviate | #1 |
mindfulness-based interventions | decrease | depression | nurses | pooled SMD: -0.42 [95% CI: -0.78 to -0.06]; p = 0.02 | appeared to alleviate | #2 |
PURPOSE: Nurses increasingly use mindfulness as an effective mental health intervention to reduce psychological distress. The effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions remains inconclusive, which may lead to implementation of interventions in an inefficient or ineffective manner. This study aimed to examine the effects of mindfulness-based interventions on reducing stress, anxiety, and depression among nurses. DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analysis. METHODS: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were searched using six databases published through May 20, 2023, which evaluated the effects of mindfulness-based interventions on reducing psychological distress among nurses. To assess the quality of methodology included in the RCTs, version 2 of the Cochrane risk-of-bias instrument for RCTs with five domains was used. Standardized mean difference (SMD) with 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated using the random-effects model in the meta-analyses. Publication bias was assessed using Egger's regression test. Further, the robustness effect size of the pooled analysis was assessed using leave-one-out sensitivity analysis. FINDINGS: A total of 16 RCTs were included in the final analysis. Overall, the modalities appeared to alleviate stress (pooled SMD: -0.50 [95% CI: -0.82 to -0.18]; p < 0.001) and depression (pooled SMD: -0.42 [95% CI: -0.78 to -0.06]; p = 0.02) among nurses. CONCLUSION: Mindfulness-based interventions appear to alleviate stress and depression in nurses. Future research evaluating mindfulness-based interventions among working nurses with more rigorous methodological and larger sample size. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Support for nurses' mental health must be included while implementing personal and professional development plans.