Implementing a brief mindfulness based stress reduction self-care intervention into the nursing curriculum

Abstract

<p><strong>Background:</strong> High levels of stress experienced by nursing students continue to be identified in the literature. This emphasizes the need for stress management in nursing education to prevent dysfunctional coping and poor health behaviors. Present literature suggests that Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) has been effective for stress management; but no research has evaluated a brief MBSR self-care intervention for American nursing students in the nursing curriculum.</p> <p><strong>Purpose: </strong>The purpose of this study is to implement a brief MBSR self-care intervention during nursing education and evaluate its effectiveness in decreasing stress and dysfunctional health behaviors.</p> <p><strong>Theoretical Framework:</strong> Utilizing Orem&rsquo;s Self-Care Theoretical Framework it is essential to the self-care process to have knowledge and skills required for health care needs and health promotion. Orem&rsquo;s Theoretical Self-Care Framework indicates that individuals must be taught specific skills to develop self-care knowledge and then apply it.</p> <p><strong>Method:</strong> This research design is a random control trial with 170 undergraduate nursing students enrolled in a required three hour psychosocial nursing class at a private downstate New York baccalaureate college. One-half of the psychosocial classes randomly selected were the experimental (MBSR Self-Care Intervention) group and the other one-half of the classes were the control group. Demographics and comparisons between groups (experimental and control) and mean scores on the Perceived Stress Scale 14 and the General Health Questionnaire 28 were analyzed using ANCOVA.</p> <p><strong>Results:</strong> Both the experimental and the control groups demonstrated decreased scores on the Perceived Stress Scale 14 and the General Health Questionnaire 28 however there was no statistical significance between the groups.</p> <p><strong>Conclusions/Implications:</strong> Incorporating stress management combined with self-care strategies during nursing education can decrease nursing students stress levels and dysfunctional health behaviors.</p>