Nurses' experiences, expectations, and preferences for mind-body practices to reduce stress
Kathi Kemper1, Sally Bulla, Deborah Krueger
1Center for Integrative Medicine, Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center; Winston-Salem, NC, USA. kkemper@wfubmc.edu
BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine
|April 13, 2011
Summary
Nurses seeking mind-body training for stress relief often already use these practices and expect spiritual benefits. Convenience, not scientific evidence, drives their training choices for future studies.
Area of Science:
- Mind-body medicine
- Occupational health
- Nursing research
Background:
- Limited research explores participants' baseline experiences and preferences in mind-body intervention trials.
- Understanding these factors is crucial for designing effective, participant-centered trials for nurses experiencing occupational stress.
Purpose of the Study:
- To gather descriptive information on nurses' baseline experiences, expectations, and preferences for mind-body training.
- To inform the planning of participant-centered mind-body intervention trials aimed at reducing occupational stress in nurses.
Main Methods:
- An anonymous email survey was distributed to North American nurses interested in stress-reducing mind-body training.
- The survey collected data on demographics, health conditions, stress levels, prior mind-body practice experience, expected benefits, training preferences, and willingness to participate in randomized controlled trials.
Main Results:
- Most respondents were women (96%) with existing health conditions (73%) and high occupational stress (median 4/5).
- Nearly all nurses (99%) already practiced mind-body techniques, with intercessory prayer (86%) and breath-focused meditation (49%) being most common.
- Nurses prioritized convenience (74%) over program reputation (49%) or scientific evidence (32%) for training selection and expressed willingness to participate in trials, including biomarker collection.
Conclusions:
- Nurses interested in mind-body training are often already practitioners with a focus on spiritual and emotional benefits.
- Recruitment for mind-body intervention trials may be more successful when prioritizing convenience over scientific evidence or reputation.
- Participant-centered approaches informed by baseline experiences and preferences are essential for effective mind-body research and training for nurses.
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