The Effect of Mindfulness Intervention on Job Stress in Nurses of Intensive Care Units

Nursing is one of the stressful jobs and working in an intensive care unit is inherently stressful due to its active and dynamic features and complexity. One of the appropriate methods for decreasing stress is mindfulness training, therefore, this study aimed at assessing the effect of mindfulness training on nurses’ job stress level.
The present study was conducted in intensive care unit of Imam Hussein hospital (SA), a subspecialty hospital in Kermanshah in 2016. This was a pre- and posttest study with a control group in which 60 nurses were randomly and equally placed into 2 groups (control and experimental). Eight 90- minute mindfulness training sessions, one session per week, were provided to the experimental group. After the training sessions, the scale-revised questionnaire on nursing job stress was given to both control and experimental groups; and then, the effect of intervention was measured and compared between the 2 groups. Data analysis was done through descriptive and inferential statistical tests using SPSS 16 software.
A significant difference was found between average ± standard deviation of stress scores in the control group before (159.57 ± 20.56) and after (171.63 ± 21.39) mindfulness intervention (P = 0.001). Also, a significant difference was obtained between average ± standard deviation of stress scores in the experimental group before (165.28 ± 21.35) and after (118.20 ± 17.52) mindfulness intervention (P = 0.001). However, no significant difference was detected between the control (159.57± 20.56) and experimental (165.28 ± 21.35) groups in average ± standard deviation of stress scores before mindfulness intervention (P = 0.31). A significant statistical difference was found between the experimental (118.20 ± 17.52) and control (171.63 ± 21.39) groups after training (P = 0.001).
Mindfulness intervention can decrease job stress of the nurses who work in intensive care units. Therefore, considering the importance of nurses’ mental health, which influences quality of health care services and patients’ satisfaction, it is recommended that the health centers and hospital managers put mindfulness intervention training in their agenda.