Using Mindfulness-Based Practice to Predict Work-Related Stress and Burnout Among Psychiatric Nurses (Gbeddy, 2021)

Study Profile What's in a study profile?
Causal Study Rating:
Low Causal Evidence
Study Type:
Causal Impact Analysis
Outcome Findings:
Health and safety: Low-Favorable impacts
Citation
Gbeddy, G.A. (2021). Using Mindfulness-Based Practice to Predict Work-Related Stress and Burnout Among Psychiatric Nurses. (Publication No. 28490131) [Doctoral dissertation, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global.

Find original publication

There is no conflict of interest.

Highlights

  • The study’s objective was to examine the impact of the VA Mindfulness Coach application (app) on health outcomes.
  • The study used an interrupted time series design. Using the Maslach Burnout Inventory and statistical tests, the author compared employee burnout before and after participation in the program.
  • The study found a significant relationship between program participation and reduced job burnout.
  • The study receives a low evidence rating. This means we are not confident that the estimated effects are attributable to VA Mindfulness Coach app; other factors are likely to have contributed.

Intervention Examined

VA Mindfulness Coach

Features of the Study

The study used an interrupted time series design to assess the effect of a mindfulness-based intervention on psychiatric nurses’ job burnout. The VA Mindfulness Coach application (app) is a mobile tool designed to help users learn mindfulness practices. It offers 12 audio-guided exercises that focus on increasing awareness of the body, breath, and senses through various techniques such as mindful eating, listening, looking, and walking. To qualify for the study, participants needed to have varying levels of emotional exhaustion and low scores on professional efficacy in the burnout inventory.

The study participants included 14 registered and licensed nurses, both full-time and part-time, who worked at a psychiatric facility in a VA Medical Center located in the Southeastern United States. The average age of the nurses was 29 years. At the start of the program, the nurses received two days of training on how to use the app. They were required to use the app for 15-30 minutes twice daily over a period of four weeks. The primary data source was the Maslach Burnout Inventory supplemented by additional survey items to capture participant demographics. The author used statistical tests to compare outcomes before and after the intervention.

Findings

Health and safety 

  • The study found a significant relationship between program participation and a reduction in job burnout.

Considerations for Interpreting the Findings

The author compared the outcomes of participants measured before and after they participated in the VA Mindfulness Coach program. CLEAR’s guidelines require that authors observe outcomes for multiple periods both before the intervention to rule out the possibility that participants had increasing or decreasing trends in the outcomes examined before enrollment in the program. Without knowing the trends before program enrollment, we cannot rule this out. Therefore, the study receives a low causal evidence rating.

Causal Evidence Rating

The quality of causal evidence presented in this report is low because the authors did not account for trends in outcomes before the intervention. This means we are not confident that the estimated effects are attributable to the VA Mindfulness Coach app; other factors are likely to have contributed.

Reviewed by CLEAR: June 2026

Research Guidelines

Review Protocol: Living Systematic Annual Search and Review Protocol

Review Guidelines: Causal Evidence Guidelines