Mindfulness relieves stress and anxiety among nursing staff, research confirms

A study by scientists from three Brazilian institutions reported in the news Archives of Psychiatric Nursing found that practicing mindfulness helped nurses manage their levels of anxiety and stress. The authors mined databases for previous research on this topic, selected fourteen studies from seven countries, and conducted a systematic review and analysis of these studies.

They opted for a methodology known as meta-analysis, a statistical technique used to combine evidence from multiple studies to arrive at more precise and reliable conclusions, which in this case was that mindfulness reduced anxiety and stress to a statistically significant degree .

The search was conducted in October 2022 and included seven databases, including Web of Science and Scopus. The scientists collected 861 articles and, after careful screening, selected 14 for systematic review: three were about studies conducted in Australia, two in the United States, one in Portugal, two in China, two in Brazil, three in Malaysia and one in Taiwan. . Thirteen articles were subjected to meta-analysis. Except for one study of healthcare workers in a long-term care facility, all were conducted in hospitals.

Ten of the studies focused on nurses. The other four involved nurses and nurses; nurses, nurses and auxiliary nurses; certified nursing assistants only; and only nurses. The sum of participants across all 14 studies resulted in a sample of 818 professionals for systematic review.

“The number of robust studies examining illness among nursing staff and their increasing use of mindfulness exercises was significant, and we realized how important it was to investigate the use of these types of interventions to manage anxiety in the group, through the two previous lines of research,” says Karen de Oliveira Santana, first author of the article. She is trained as a specialist in mental health and psychiatry at the University of São Paulo Medical School (FM-USP) and is currently conducting research for a master’s degree. in nursing school (EE-USP).

Mindfulness practitioners focus their attention on the present moment and observe feelings, thoughts and sensory experiences without judging them or reacting automatically, she explained. They use meditation, breathing exercises and various techniques to increase self-awareness.

“It helps you pause between stimulus and response so you think before you act. Conscious breathing and meditation promote physical and mental relaxation, which relieves anxiety and stress so you can become more aware of your needs,” she said.

The article was also signed by several of her EE-USP colleagues: faculty members Caroline Figueira Pereira and Divane de Vargas, graduate Manuela Silva Ramos and master’s candidate Roni Robson da Silva. The other two co-authors are Maria Neyrian de Fátima Fernandes, professor at the Department of Nursing of the Federal University of Maranhão (UFMA), and Edilaine Cristina da Silva Gherardi-Donato, professor at the Ribeirão Preto Nursing School (EERP-USP) with a Ph.D. in psychiatric nursing from the same institution.

According to Santana, the use of mindfulness techniques by nurses should not diminish the importance of improving their working conditions. “It is possible to control the symptoms of anxiety and stress, but their causes must also be addressed,” she said, citing long working hours, constant exposure to diseases, lack of professional prestige and low wages, all of which increase the risk of disease.

“Because the nursing workforce is majority female, the nursing workforce also suffers from gender inequality. As if stressful working conditions weren’t enough, many also have to deal with housework and other household tasks culturally assigned to women. Burnout is a contributing factor. increasingly common.” she said.

This is reported by the World Health Organization (WHO). “Depression and Other Common Mental Disorders: Global Health Estimates” notes that Brazil has the largest number of people suffering from anxiety as a percentage of the population (9.3%). “Improving the quality of life for nursing staff also means improving the quality of care provided,” Santana said.