Effectiveness of the mood shifter ball intervention on stress and burnout among nurses

Occupational stress and burnout are prevalent among nurses due to heavy workload, extended shifts, and inadequate staffing, that have a negative impact on their well-being and patient care. Effective interventions are crucial to address these challenges. The study aimed to assess the effectiveness of the mood shifter ball intervention on stress and burnout among nurses at a tertiary care hospital in Chennai and to extrapolate themes from reflective practices.

A mixed-methods, pre-experimental one-group pretest-post-test design was conducted. Data were collected over a 45-day period, from October 11 to November 24, 2023. After excluding 13 nurses who exhibited low stress, burnout, or lacked interest, the final sample consisted of 332 participants using nonprobability purposive sampling. Following informed consent, pretests using the Perceived Stress Scale-10 and the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory were administered. Participants then engaged in a weekly, 15-min intervention over 4 weeks, using three handheld emoji balls (sad, neutral, and happy) designed to help manage stress. The intervention involved compressing each ball for 3-5 s while taking deep breaths: the angry ball was used to focus on stress, the neutral ball for problem-solving, and the smiley ball to induce calm. Post-tests were conducted on the 15^th and 30^th day, alongside a satisfaction survey. After each session, participants reflected on their experiences by completing a reflection paper, articulating their thoughts and any strategies they developed.

The majority of participants (81.0%) were aged ≤ 25 years, with a mean age of 24.4 ± 3.3 years. Most participants (88.9%) were women. Mean stress scores decreased from 25.6 ± 4.7 (pretest) to 19.4 ± 5.5 (post-test II), and burnout scores decreased from 44.1 ± 6.3 to 36.1 ± 7.0. A majority (53.3%) reported high satisfaction with the intervention. Significant correlations between stress and burnout were identified (P < 0.001). Reflection themes included work, emotion, lack of competence, patient relations, and organization.

The mood shifter ball intervention significantly reduced stress and burnout, demonstrating its potential as an effective stress management tool in healthcare.