Abstract
1- Introduction
2- Background
3- The Review
4- Results
5- Stress Reduction
6- Depression and Anxiety
7- Burnout
8- Sense of Well-being and Empathy
9- Discussion
10- Conclusion
References
Introduction
In recent years there has been a great deal of interest in Mindfulness Meditation (MM), particularly in healthcare (Chiesa, 2010). Originating from the spiritual traditions of India, Tibet, China, and Japan over 5000 years ago (Chiesa 2010), MM is a multidimensional construct described as “mental and emotional control practices” (Thomas and Cohen, 2014, p. 1); and “the simple act of carefully paying attention, of experiencing one’s life in the present moment” (Roth and Creaser, 1997, p. 154). MM is frequently referred to as a mind-body therapy that promotes health, aids recovery, and results in a sense of peace and stillness (Hassed and Chambers, 2014). Given the potential impact of MM for nurses and nursing students, critical appraisal of contemporary literature on this topic is warranted. Therefore, this paper presents an integrative review of the literature that examined the effectiveness of MM programs for nurses and nursing students.
Background
Meditation is a tool for developing mindfulness. Mindfulness refers to engagement in or curiosity about the present moment, which encourages an attitude of non-judgemental openness and acceptance, so as to cultivate equanimity and stillness (Hassed and Chambers, 2014). There are many types of meditation, for example: Transcendental Meditation® (Maharishi, 2001), Tibetan meditation, Zen, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) (Platt et al., 2016), and MM, sometimes referred to as Vipassana (Kabat-Zinn, 1990). MBSR uses intensive MM and yoga practices. Yoga is said to cultivate health and wellbeing through regular practice of specific bodily postures, breath control and simple meditation. Yoga has been reported to increase brain-wave activity; creating neuroplastic effects with subsequent improvement in cognition, memory, mood, and anxiety (Desai et al., 2015).