Effectiveness of mindfulness‐based interventions on psychological well‐being, burnout and post‐traumatic stress disorder among nurses: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Abstract

Aims and objectives The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of mindfulness‐based interventions on psychological well‐being, burnout and post‐traumatic stress disorder symptoms among working registered nurses. Background Nurses account for nearly half of the global healthcare workforce and are considered significant contributors in multi‐disciplinary healthcare teams. Yet, nurses face high levels of psychological distress, leading to burnout and post‐traumatic stress disorder. Mindfulness‐based training is a strategy that has been introduced to foster a state of awareness of present physical, emotional and cognitive experiences to regulate behaviour. Design This systematic review of randomised controlled trials was designed according to PRISMA guidelines. Eligible studies were screened and extracted. Methodological quality was evaluated by two researchers, independently. RevMan 5.4 was used to conduct the meta‐analysis. Results Fourteen studies including a total of 1077 nurses were included, of which only eleven were included in the meta‐analysis as the remaining had missing or incomplete data. Meta‐analysis revealed that MBI was more effective than passive comparators in reducing psychological distress, stress, depression and burnout—personal accomplishment. When compared to active comparators, MBI was also found to be more effective in reducing psychological distress and was as effective in reducing stress, anxiety, depression and burnout. Evidence on the effects of MBIs on PTSD was scarce. Conclusion Mindfulness‐based interventions can effectively reduce psychological distress, stress, depression and some dimensions of burnout. However, evidence remains scarce in the literature. There is a need for more methodologically sound research on mindfulness‐based training among nurses. Relevance for clinical practice An important aspect that relates to the success of mindfulness‐based interventions is the continued and dedicated individual practice of the skills taught during mindfulness training amidst demanding clinical work environments. Therefore, relevant support for nurses must be accounted for in the planning, design and implementation of future mindfulness‐based interventions.

Mindfulness for the Mental Resilience of Police Officers: A systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…In the meta-analysis of burnout, moderate effects were found that are consistent with previous meta-analyses in other populations (Ramachandran et al, 2022;Suleiman-Martos et al, 2020). Both of these meta-analyses mention that mindfulness interventions are only effective in reducing one of the three dimensions of burnout, namely emotional exhaustion (Maslach & Jackson, 1981).…”

The effects of mindfulness‐based interventions on nurses' anxiety and depression: A meta‐analysis

“…Twelve randomised controlled trials from 2017 to 2021 were included (Hofmann et al, 2010 ; Hofmann & Gómez, 2017 ; Kabat‐Zinn, 1982 ; Kang & Myung, 2022 ; Liberati et al, 2009 ; Lihua et al, 2017 ; Maharaj et al, 2018 ; Qiu, 2019 ; Rakel, 1999 ; Ramachandran et al, 2022 ; Shapiro et al, 2006 ; Teasdale et al, 2000 ), which involved 807 subjects (405 and 402 in the intervention and control groups, respectively). One study was from Canada (Hofmann et al, 2010 ), one from Japan (Kabat‐Zinn, 1982 ), and the remaining 10 were from China (Hofmann & Gómez, 2017 ; Kang & Myung, 2022 ; Liberati et al, 2009 ; Lihua et al, 2017 ; Maharaj et al, 2018 ; Qiu, 2019 ; Rakel, 1999 ; Ramachandran et al, 2022 ; Shapiro et al, 2006 ; Teasdale et al, 2000 ). Of these, three(Hofmann et al, 2010 ; Hofmann & Gómez, 2017 ; Kabat‐Zinn, 1982 ) were published in English and the remaining nine in Chinese.…”

“…Seven evaluation scales were used to measure the anxiety or depression levels of nurses in the included studies. Since the SCL‐90 (Qiu, 2019 ), HADS (Kabat‐Zinn, 1982 ), DASS (Shapiro et al, 2006 ), HAM‐A (Ramachandran et al, 2022 ), and PAMS‐TA (Hofmann et al, 2010 ) scales were used in only one study, they were not sufficient for the meta‐analysis. A meta‐subgroup analysis of studies that used the SAS and SDS showed that the level of anxiety decreased more with the SAS, and depression decreased more with the SDS.…”

Physician burnout and symptom of anxiety and depression: Burnout in Consultant Doctors in Ireland Study (BICDIS)

“…West et al conducted a systematic review of the evidence for the management of burnout and found strong evidence base for the use of mindfulness, stress management programmes and small group (including reflective) discussions [ 35 ]. Mindfulness has previously been reported as beneficial, although the evidence for it has been reported as moderate to high on systematic review [ 36 ]. There was limited evidence for organisational interventions, mainly due to a lack of studies: it is much more challenging to perform a randomised controlled trial of organisational change than a mindfulness programme [ 35 , 37 ].…”