Efficacy of mindfulness-based meditation therapy on the sense of coherence and mental health of nurses

Michiyo Ando, Takako Natsume, Hiroko Kukihara, Hiroko Shibata, Sayoko Ito

.

DOI: 10.4236/health.2011.32022                

Abstract

The primary goal of the study was to assess the efficacy of mindfulness-based meditation therapy on the psychological well-being and sense of coherence of nurses with respect to coping with stress. The participants were 28 nurses working in a ward for elderly patients, with 15 included in the intervention group and 13 in the control group. Nurses in the intervention group received two sessions of mindfulness-based meditation therapy, including breathing, yoga movement and meditation. Each nurse was taught the program in the first session, then exercised at home with a CD, and subsequently met with an interviewer in a second session after two weeks. Nurses in the control group did not receive any interventions. The participants completed the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), including subdomains of physical symptoms, anxiety and sleep disturbance, interference with social activities, and depression; and the Sense of Coherence (SOC) questionnaire, which includes three subdomains of comprehensibility, manageability, and meaningfulness pre- and post-intervention. The GHQ scores of the intervention group showed a significantly greater decrease than those of the control group. The SOC scores of the intervention group showed a significantly greater increase after the intervention compared to those in the control group, with the highest score for the meaningfulness subdomain. These results indicate that mindfulness-based meditation therapy is effective for improving the psycho-logical well-being and sense of coherence of nurses, which helps them to cope with stress.

Keywords

Meditation Therapy; Sense of Coherence; Well-Being; Stress; Nurses

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

[1]	Tarran, T. and Sabo, C.E. (2010) Role conflict, role ambiguity, and job satisfaction in nurse executives. Nursing Administration Quarterly, 34, 72-82.
[2]	Innstrand, S.T., Langballe, E.M. and Falkum, E. (2010). Exploring occupational differences in work-family interaction: who is at risk? International Journal of Stress Management, 17, 38-55. doi:10.1037/a0018565
[3]	Shirey, M.R., McDaniel, A.M. and Ebright. P.R. (2010). Understanding nurse manager stress and work complexity: factors that make a difference. The Journal of Nursing Administration, 40, 82-91. doi:10.1097/NNA.0b013e3181cb9f88
[4]	Antonovsky, A. (1979). Health, stress, and coping: New perspective on mental and physical well-being. Jossey-Bass, San Francisco.
[5]	Antonovsky, A. (1987). Unraveling the mystery of health: How people manage stress and stay well. Jossey-Bass, San Francisco.
[6]	Hanse, J.J. and Engstrom T. (1999). Sense of coherence and ill health among the unemployed and reemployed after closure of assembly plant. Work and Stress, 13, 204- 222. doi:10.1080/026783799296020
[7]	Gilver, O. (1988) Relationships between burnout and sense of coherence in health workers. Social Work in Health Care, 26, 39-49.
[8]	Albertse, K., Nielsen, M.L. and Borg, V. (2001). The Danish psychosocial work environment and symptoms of stress. The main, mediating and moderating role of sense of coherence. Work and Stress, 15, 241-253. doi:10.1080/02678370110066562
[9]	Tselebis, A., Moulou, A and Ilias, I. (2001). Burnout and sense of coherence: study of Greek nursing staff. Nursing & Health Science, 3, 69-71. doi:10.1046/j.1442-2018.2001.00074.x
[10]	Eda, S., Tatsumi, Y. and Nomura, M. (2007). The relationships between sense of coherence and burnout of critical care nurses. Japan Journal of Critical Care Nursing, 8, 134-147.
[11]	Kabat-Zinn, J. (1990). Full catastrophe living: using the wisdom of your body and mind to face stress, pain and illness. Delacourt, New York.
[12]	Speca, M., Carlson, L.E., Goodey, E. and Angen, M. (2000). A randomized, wait-list controlled clinical trial: The effect of a mindfulness meditation-based stress reduction program on mood and symptoms of stress in cancer outpatients. Psychosomatic Medicine, 62, 613- 622.
[13]	Carlson, L.E., Speca, M., Patel, K.D. and Goodey, E. (2004). Mindfulness-based stress reduction in relation to quality of life, mood, symptoms of stress and levels of cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) and melatonin in breast and prostate cancer outpatients. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 29, 448-474. doi:10.1016/S0306-4530(03)00054-4
[14]	Monti, D.A., Peterson, C. and Kunkel, S. (2006). A randomized, controlled trial of mindfulness-based art therapy (MBAT) for women with cancer. Psycho-Oncology, 15, 363-373. doi:10.1002/pon.988
[15]	Garland, S.N., Carson, L.E., Cook, S., Lansdell, L. and Speca, M. (2007). A non-randomized comparison of mindfulness-based stress reduction and healing arts programs for facilitating post-traumatic growth and spirituality in cancer outpatients. Supportive Care in Cancer, 15, 949-961. doi:10.1007/s00520-007-0280-5
[16]	Yamazaki, Y. and Yoshii, K., Trans. (2001). Unraveling the mystery of health: How people manage stress and stay well (in Japanese). Yushindokomunsya, Japan.
[17]	Nakagawa, T. and Taibou, I. (1985). Japanese version of the GHQ mental health inventory handbook. Nihon Bunka Kagakusya, Japan.
[18]	Funashima, N. (2001). Qualitative analysis (in Japanese). Igakusyoin, Japan.
[19]	Tacon, A.M., Caldera, Y.M. and Ronaghan, C. (2004). Mindfulness-based stress reduction in women with breast cancer. Families Systems Health, 22, 193-203. doi:10.1037/1091-7527.22.2.193
[20]	Tacon, A.M., Caldera, Y.M. and Ronaghan, C. (2005). Mindfulness, psychosocial factors, and breast cancer. Journal of Cancer Pain and Symptom Palliation, 1, 45- 53. doi:10.1300/J427v01n01_06
[21]	Shimizu, T., Kubota, S., Mishima, T. and Nagata, S. (2004). Relationships between self-esteem and assertiveness training among Japanese hospital nurses. Journal of Occupational Health, 46, 296-298. doi:10.1539/joh.46.296