The impact of mindfulness intervention on the subjective well-being of nursing students: an experimental study

Abstract Background Nursing students frequently encounter significant psychological stressors during their education, placing them at increased risk for reduced subjective well-being and mental health challenges. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction programs have emerged as promising interventions to...

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Main Authors: Nurgul Karakurt, Hatice Durmaz
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2025-08-01
Series:BMC Psychology
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-025-03334-3
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author Nurgul Karakurt
Hatice Durmaz
author_facet Nurgul Karakurt
Hatice Durmaz
author_sort Nurgul Karakurt
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Background Nursing students frequently encounter significant psychological stressors during their education, placing them at increased risk for reduced subjective well-being and mental health challenges. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction programs have emerged as promising interventions to enhance psychological resilience and well-being in this vulnerable population. Methods This experimental study utilized a pretest–posttest design with experimental and control groups. A total of 60 nursing students participated, with 30 assigned to the experimental group and 30 to the control group. Nursing students’ subjective well-being was assessed using the Subjective Well-Being Scale before and after the intervention. The experimental group participated in an eight-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program adapted from Kabat-Zinn’s model, consisting of two 30-40-minute sessions per week, while the control group received no intervention. Data were analyzed using independent samples t-tests to compare differences between groups and paired samples t-tests for within-group changes. Results No significant difference was observed in pretest subjective well-being scores between the groups (p > 0.05). Post-intervention analysis revealed a statistically significant increase in subjective well-being scores in the experimental group compared to the control group (p < 0.001). Within-group comparisons showed a significant improvement in subjective well-being for the experimental group, while the control group exhibited a decline (p < 0.001). Conclusions Participation in an eight-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program significantly improved the subjective well-being of nursing students, suggesting its potential as an accessible and effective intervention for supporting their mental health. These findings underscore the importance of integrating mindfulness-based programs into nursing education to promote resilience and prevent emotional exhaustion.
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spelling doaj-art-cfe057a20f06410e8d37f881ef41db182025-08-24T11:58:17ZengBMCBMC Psychology2050-72832025-08-011311810.1186/s40359-025-03334-3The impact of mindfulness intervention on the subjective well-being of nursing students: an experimental studyNurgul Karakurt0Hatice Durmaz1Faculty of Health Sciences, Nursing Department, Erzurum Technical UniversityFaculty of Nursing, Pysciatric Nursing Department, Ataturk UnivercityAbstract Background Nursing students frequently encounter significant psychological stressors during their education, placing them at increased risk for reduced subjective well-being and mental health challenges. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction programs have emerged as promising interventions to enhance psychological resilience and well-being in this vulnerable population. Methods This experimental study utilized a pretest–posttest design with experimental and control groups. A total of 60 nursing students participated, with 30 assigned to the experimental group and 30 to the control group. Nursing students’ subjective well-being was assessed using the Subjective Well-Being Scale before and after the intervention. The experimental group participated in an eight-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program adapted from Kabat-Zinn’s model, consisting of two 30-40-minute sessions per week, while the control group received no intervention. Data were analyzed using independent samples t-tests to compare differences between groups and paired samples t-tests for within-group changes. Results No significant difference was observed in pretest subjective well-being scores between the groups (p > 0.05). Post-intervention analysis revealed a statistically significant increase in subjective well-being scores in the experimental group compared to the control group (p < 0.001). Within-group comparisons showed a significant improvement in subjective well-being for the experimental group, while the control group exhibited a decline (p < 0.001). Conclusions Participation in an eight-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program significantly improved the subjective well-being of nursing students, suggesting its potential as an accessible and effective intervention for supporting their mental health. These findings underscore the importance of integrating mindfulness-based programs into nursing education to promote resilience and prevent emotional exhaustion.https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-025-03334-3Mindfulness-Based stress reductionSubjective well-beingNursing educationPsychological resilience
spellingShingle Nurgul Karakurt
Hatice Durmaz
The impact of mindfulness intervention on the subjective well-being of nursing students: an experimental study
BMC Psychology
Mindfulness-Based stress reduction
Subjective well-being
Nursing education
Psychological resilience
title The impact of mindfulness intervention on the subjective well-being of nursing students: an experimental study
title_full The impact of mindfulness intervention on the subjective well-being of nursing students: an experimental study
title_fullStr The impact of mindfulness intervention on the subjective well-being of nursing students: an experimental study
title_full_unstemmed The impact of mindfulness intervention on the subjective well-being of nursing students: an experimental study
title_short The impact of mindfulness intervention on the subjective well-being of nursing students: an experimental study
title_sort impact of mindfulness intervention on the subjective well being of nursing students an experimental study
topic Mindfulness-Based stress reduction
Subjective well-being
Nursing education
Psychological resilience
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-025-03334-3
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