Mindfulness, Deep Breathing, and Body Scan Meditation for Reducing Work-Related Stress and Improving Job Satisfaction among Psychiatric Nurses

摘要

Nursing is a profession that is at a high risk for developing stress. Nurses that are unable to cope with workplace stress have poor physical and mental well-being, report reduced quality of life, have increased rates of performing errors related to patient care and medical procedures, have increased incidences of workplace absenteeism and more frequent turnover. Mindfulness is effective at reducing stress among nurses and preventing the negative health outcomes associated with chronic stress. This Clinical Scholarly Project was conducted over a period of six weeks at Encino Hospital Medical Center and was conducted following a pre-test post-test designed with a participant sample of 10 registered nurses and licensed vocational nurses that specialize in mental health nursing. The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and Nursing Workplace Satisfaction Questionnaire (NWSQ) were completed pre- and post-intervention. The intervention was conducted in weekly meetings and consisted of educating nurses about mindfulness and performing two mindfulness meditation exercises, deep breathing and body scan meditation. On average, results of the two-tailed paired samples t test showed that the mean PSS score was 1.10 points lower post-intervention, and that the mean NWSQ score was .400 points higher post-intervention. These results indicate the intervention was statistically nonsignificant in reducing perceived stress and improving workplace satisfaction. Future considerations for nursing practice include research that dives into brief mindfulness-based stress reduction programs that are brief and effective.