Enhancing the resilience of nurses and midwives: Pilot of a mindfulnessbased program for increased health, sense of coherence and decreased depression, anxiety and stress
Abstract: Health workers in general, and midwives and nurses in particular, experience high levels of stress/distress due to the nature of their work and workplaces; and, their socialization into ways of working that minimizes the likelihood of self-care. Increasing interest in the development of resilient workers has meant an enormous growth in interest in the role of holistic practices such as mindfulness meditation. Kabat-Zinn's mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) is one of the most commonly used by those seeking to practise, theorize or research mindfulness across multiple contexts. The primary aim of this study was to pilot the effectiveness of an adapted mindfulness-based stress reduction intervention on the psychological wellbeing of nurses and midwives. More specifically, we sought to test the acceptability and feasibility of a modified MBSR intervention to inform a future randomized controlled trial (RCT). The pilot study used a pre and post intervention design. Twenty midwives and 20 nurses participated in a one-day workshop, undertook to meditate daily for 8 weeks and completed pre and post intervention measures: general health questionnaire (GHQ-12); sense of coherence (SOC) - orientation to life and the depression, anxiety and stress scale (DASS). A subgroup took part in interviews or focus group discussions of their experiences of the program and their ongoing mindfulness practice. The quantitative findings included significant improvements on the GHQ-12, SOC and the stress subscale of the DASS. Qualitative findings support the acceptability of the intervention, and highlighted a number of issues related to feasibility of any future RCT. In conclusion, mindfulness practice holds promise for increasing individual and workplace resilience, however, meaningful research evidence from carefully constructed studies will be required to engage and motivate participation and organizational support.
Citations
More filters
TL;DR: MBSR is moderately effective in reducing stress, depression, anxiety and distress and in ameliorating the quality of life of healthy individuals; however, more research is warranted to identify the most effective elements of MBSR.
1,031 citations
Cites background from "Enhancing the resilience of nurses ..."
...[55] Midwives and nurses from two teaching hospitals (40) – 100 MBSR (40) N/A N/A 30 8+ HP GHQ-12; SOC; DASS 0....
[...]
TL;DR: Resilience is a significant intervention that can build nurses' resources and address the effects of emotional dissonance in nursing work and robust evaluation of the impact of resilience interventions that address emotional labour is recommended.
254 citations
TL;DR: Results of the meta-analysis suggest that MBIs have the potential to significantly improve stress among HCPs; however, there was evidence of a file drawer problem and more high-quality research is needed before this finding can be confirmed.
Abstract: Workplace stress is high among healthcare professionals (HCPs) and is associated with reduced psychological health, quality of care and patient satisfaction. This systematic review and meta-analysis reviews evidence on the effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) for reducing stress in HCPs. A systematic literature search was conducted. Papers were screened for suitability using inclusion criteria and nine papers were subjected to review and quality assessment. Seven papers, for which full statistical findings could be obtained, were also subjected to meta-analysis. Results of the meta-analysis suggest that MBIs have the potential to significantly improve stress among HCPs; however, there was evidence of a file drawer problem. The quality of the studies was high in relation to the clarity of aims, data collection and analysis, but weaker in terms of sample size and the use of theoretical frameworks. MBIs have the potential to reduce stress among HCPs; however, more high-quality research is needed before this finding can be confirmed. Future studies would benefit from long-term follow-up measures to determine any continuing effects of mindfulness training on stress outcomes. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
249 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors provide an overview of what mindfulness is, where the concept came from, how it has been utilized and studied to date, and what its application in the work setting is.
Abstract: In recent years the concept of mindfulness has become increasingly popular, and with good reason. A growing body of research indicates that mindfulness provides a number of physical, psychological, and even performance benefits. As a result, some organizations have started offering mindfulness programs to their employees. But despite growing interest, mindfulness has received little attention from the industrial–organizational community. In this article, we provide an overview of what mindfulness is, where the concept came from, how it has been utilized and studied to date, and what its application in the work setting is. We also propose new directions for researchers and practitioners.
235 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the potential mediating role of resilience in the impact of mindfulness on life satisfaction and affect as indices of subjective well-being has been investigated by extending the previous literature.
231 citations
References
More filters
TL;DR: Correlational, quasi-experimental, and laboratory studies show that the MAAS measures a unique quality of consciousness that is related to a variety of well-being constructs, that differentiates mindfulness practitioners from others, and that is associated with enhanced self-awareness.
Abstract: Mindfulness is an attribute of consciousness long believed to promote well-being. This research provides a theoretical and empirical examination of the role of mindfulness in psychological well-being. The development and psychometric properties of the dispositional Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) are described. Correlational, quasi-experimental, and laboratory studies then show that the MAAS measures a unique quality of consciousness that is related to a variety of well-being constructs, that differentiates mindfulness practitioners from others, and that is associated with enhanced selfawareness. An experience-sampling study shows that both dispositional and state mindfulness predict self-regulated behavior and positive emotional states. Finally, a clinical intervention study with cancer patients demonstrates that increases in mindfulness over time relate to declines in mood disturbance and stress. Many philosophical, spiritual, and psychological traditions emphasize the importance of the quality of consciousness for the maintenance and enhancement of well-being (Wilber, 2000). Despite this, it is easy to overlook the importance of consciousness in human well-being because almost everyone exercises its primary capacities, that is, attention and awareness. Indeed, the relation between qualities of consciousness and well-being has received little empirical attention. One attribute of consciousness that has been much-discussed in relation to well-being is mindfulness. The concept of mindfulness has roots in Buddhist and other contemplative traditions where conscious attention and awareness are actively cultivated. It is most commonly defined as the state of being attentive to and aware of what is taking place in the present. For example, Nyanaponika Thera (1972) called mindfulness “the clear and single-minded awareness of what actually happens to us and in us at the successive moments of perception” (p. 5). Hanh (1976) similarly defined mindfulness as “keeping one’s consciousness alive to the present reality” (p. 11). Recent research has shown that the enhancement of mindfulness through training facilitates a variety of well-being outcomes (e.g., Kabat-Zinn, 1990). To date, however, there has been little work examining this attribute as a naturally occurring characteristic. Recognizing that most everyone has the capacity to attend and to be aware, we nonetheless assume (a) that individuals differ in their propensity or willingness to be aware and to sustain attention to what is occurring in the present and (b) that this mindful capacity varies within persons, because it can be sharpened or dulled by a variety of factors. The intent of the present research is to reliably identify these inter- and intrapersonal variations in mindfulness, establish their relations to other relevant psychological constructs, and demonstrate their importance to a variety of forms of psychological well-being.
9,818 citations
"Enhancing the resilience of nurses ..." refers background in this paper
...…linked Keywords: resilience, mindfulness, sense of coherence, depression, anxiety, stress, nurses, midwives to the development of mindfulness (Brown & Ryan, 2003; Grafton et al., 2010; Thompson, Arnkoff, & Glass, 2011) and there is increasing evidence to suggest that a more mindful workforce…...
[...]
TL;DR: The factor structure of the combined BDI and BAI items was virtually identical to that reported by Beck for a sample of diagnosed depressed and anxious patients, supporting the view that these clinical states are more severe expressions of the same states that may be discerned in normals.
9,443 citations
Additional excerpts
...Statistically signifi cant differences were found on scores for GHQ12, SOC-Orientation to life (overall score and manageability subscale) and Stress subscale of the DASS....
[...]
...More specifi cally, participants discussed issues related to three broad areas: TABLE 2: COMPARISON OF PRE AND POST SCORES ON THE GHQ, SOC SCALE AND THE DASS Measure Pre intervention* Post intervention* Probability# GHQ12 – based on sum of Likert ratings GHQ12 – based on dichotomous scoring N = 40 4.02(6.48); 4–33; 13 3.5(3.57); 0–12; 2.00 N = 27 9.59(6.09); 3–28; 7 1.48(3.02); 0–11; 0.00 0.011 0.031 SOC – Orientation to life N = 38 129.45(21.10); 62–163; 131.5 N = 28 146(24.03); 65–173; 147.5 0.009 SOC – Comprehensibility N = 38 42.81(8.91); 18–57; 44.00 N = 28 48.78(10.30); 20–67; 48.50 0.012 SOC – Manageability N = 40 48.95(8.95); 27–62; 50.00 N = 28 52.25(9.01); 27–65; 53.00 0.075 SOC – Meaning N = 40 43.55(7.16); 18–55; 44.00 N = 28 44.96(8.02); 18–54; 47.00 0.639 DASS – Depression N = 39 6.77(8.36); 0–37; 4 N = 28 4.12(7.32); 0–29; 2 0.798 DASS – Anxiety N = 40 4.87(6.19); 0–28; 3 N = 26 3.23(5.04); 0–22; 1 0.079 DASS – Stress N = 40 12.72(8.89); 1–32; 10 N = 28 7.28(7.13); 0–32; 6 0.004 *Mean (standard deviation); range; median; #Wilcoxon signed-ranked test (2-tailed) for related samples....
[...]
...The DASS measures the negative emotional states of depression, anxiety and stress....
[...]
...DASS has been shown to have high internal consistency and yields meaningful discriminations....
[...]
...The DASS (Lovibond & Lovibond, 1995)....
[...]
TL;DR: studies from the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society not reviewed by Baer but which raise a number of key questions about clinical applicability, study design, and mechanism of action are reviewed.
Abstract: studies from the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society not reviewed by Baer but which raise a number of key questions about clinical applicability, study design, and mechanism of action, and (7) current opportunities for professional training and development in mindfulness and its clinical applications.
5,891 citations
"Enhancing the resilience of nurses ..." refers background or methods in this paper
...One of the most common approaches is Jon Kabat-Zinn’s MBSR (Kabat-Zinn, 2003)....
[...]
...In keeping with the traditions of mindfulness teaching (Kabat-Zinn, 2003; Woods, 2009) all researchers are committed to mindfulness practice in their own lives....
[...]
01 Jan 2005
TL;DR: Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness book.
5,362 citations
"Enhancing the resilience of nurses ..." refers methods in this paper
...The MBSR intervention consisted of an 8-week program modeled closely on KabatZinn’s original MBSR program (Kabat-Zinn, 1990)....
[...]
Book•
15 Jan 2008
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors used the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness book to help people cope with stress, pain, and illness.
Abstract: FULL CATA STROPHE LIV ING: USING THE W ISDOM OF YOUR BODY A ND MIND TO FA CE STRESS, PA IN, A ND ILLNESS To read Full Catastrophe Living : Using the W isdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness eBook, please click the link under and download the ebook or get access to additional information which might be related to Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness book.
5,246 citations