Journal
TEACHING AND LEARNING IN MEDICINE
Volume 26, Issue 4, Pages 350-356Publisher
ROUTLEDGE JOURNALS, TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD
DOI: 10.1080/10401334.2014.945025
Keywords
mindfulness; professionalism; balance; wellness; stress
Funding
- Arnold P. Gold Foundation
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Background: Medical students experience a high burden of stress and suffer elevated rates of depression, burnout, and suicide compared to the general population, yet there is no consensus on how to address student wellness. Purposes: The purpose of this study was to determine whether an abridged mindfulness based stress reduction (MBSR) intervention can improve measures of wellness in a randomized sample of 1st-year medical students. Methods: Fifty-eight participants were randomized to control or 8-week MBSR intervention and then invited to participate in the study. All participants were assessed using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), the Resilience Scale (RS), and Self-Compassion Scale (SCS) at 3 separate time points: baseline, at the conclusion of the study intervention (8 weeks), and at 6 months after the conclusion of the intervention. The intervention consisted of 75 minutes of weekly class time, suggested meditation at home, and a half-day retreat in the last week. Results: The intervention group achieved significant increase on SCS scores both at the conclusion of the study (0.58, p =.002), 95% confidence interval (CI) [0.23, 0.92], and at 6 months (0.56, p =.001), 95% CI [0.25, 0.87]. PSS scores achieved significant reduction at the conclusion of the study (3.63, p =.03), 95% CI [0.37, 6.89], but not at 6 months poststudy (2.91, p =.08), 95% CI [-0.37, 6.19]. The study did not demonstrate a difference in RS after the intervention, though RS was significantly correlated with both SCS and PSS. Conclusions: An abridged MBSR intervention improves perceived stress and self-compassion in 1st-year medical students and may be a valuable curricular tool to enhance wellness and professional development.
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