Effectiveness of mindfulness based cognitive therapy on the distress tolerance of nurses and job burnout

Abstract Background and Purpose: Distress is an important issue with significant effects on nurses and patients in the nursing profession. This study aimed to investigate the effects of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) on the distress tolerance of nurses with job burnout. Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted with a pretest-posttest design and a control group. Study population consisted of 202 female nurses employed at Fatemeh Zahra Hospital (heart center) of Sari, Iran in 2015. Collected data were indicative of job burnout in 70 participants. In total, 30 nurses were selected as eligible subjects and equally divided into two groups of intervention and control. Pretest was performed on both groups. Nurses in the intervention group received eight sessions of training (two hours each) twice per week, while the control group had no intervention. Both groups were evaluated after the intervention (posttest). Data were collected using Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and Simons and Gaher’s Distress Tolerance Scale (DTS). Data analysis was performed in SPSS version 21 using analysis of covariance. Results: In this study, use of MBCT was observed to positively affect the distress tolerance of nurses with job burnout. Conclusion: According to the results of this study, factors such as prompt decision-making, job difficulty, long working shifts, and stressful environments were significantly involved in the psychological and physical stress of nurses, and MBCT could effectively enhance distress tolerance in the participants.