Efficacy of mindfulness-based meditation therapy on the sense of coherence and mental health of nurses

The primary goal of the study was to assess the efficacy of mindfulness-based meditation therapy on the psychological well-being and sense of coherence of nurses with respect to coping with stress. The participants were 28 nurses working in a ward for elderly patients, with 15 included in the intervention group and 13 in the control group. Nurses in the intervention group received two sessions of mindfulness-based meditation therapy, including breathing, yoga movement and meditation. Each nurse was taught the program in the first session, then exercised at home with a CD, and subsequently met with an interviewer in a second session after two weeks. Nurses in the control group did not receive any interventions. The participants completed the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), including subdomains of physical symptoms, anxiety and sleep disturbance, interference with social activities, and depression;and the Sense of Coherence (SOC) questionnaire, which includes three subdomains of comprehensibility, manageability, and meaningfulness pre- and post-intervention. The GHQ scores of the intervention group showed a significantly greater decrease than those of the control group. The SOC scores of the intervention group showed a significantly greater increase after the intervention compared to those in the control group, with the highest score for the meaningfulness subdomain. These results indicate that mindfulness-based meditation therapy is effective for improving the psycho-logical well-being and sense of coherence of nurses, which helps them to cope with stress.

Changes in Autonomic Nervous System Activity and Mood of Healthy People after Mindfulness Art Therapy Short Version

The aim of this study was to investigate changes in autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity and mood caused by Mindfulness Art Therapy Short version (MATS). The participants were 20 Japanese college students who were separated into high and low risk groups based on the median score of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ). MATS consisted of mindfulness exercise and making of art in one session. ANS activity (TP: total energy, LF/HF: sympathetic nervous, HF: parasympathetic nervous system, LF: both sympathetic and parasympathetic) and mood (TA: tension arousal, EA: energy arousal) were measured psychologically before and after MATS. In the high risk group, TP significantly decreased and LF, HF, and LF/HF did not change significantly;while TA significantly decreased and EA significantly increased. In the low risk group, TP and LF significantly increased and HF and LF/HF did not change significantly;while TA significantly decreased and EA showed a non-significant increase. These results suggest that MATS affects the ANS differently for participants with different states of mental health, and particularly promotes activity in low-risk participants. Psychologically, MATS decreased tension or anxiety and increased energy. These findings justify further use of this therapy.

Potentiality of Mindfulness Art Therapy Short Version on Mood of Healthy People

The present study examined the potential of Mindfulness Art Therapy Short version on mood of healthy people. The Mindfulness Art Therapy Short version consisted of two sessions and included factors of both mindfulness and art therapy. The Art Therapy alone consisted of two sessions including factors of art therapy. Seventeen college students received the Mindfulness Art Therapy Short version and twenty-two students received Art Therapy alone. All participants completed the Profile of Mood States pre- and post-interventions in each session. In the Mindfulness Art Therapy Short version group, scores for Tension-Anxiety, Depression-Dejection, and Fatigue-Inertia reduced and those for Vigor-Activity significantly increased after the program. In the Art Therapy group, although scores for Tension-Anxiety and Fatigue-Inertia decreased, the scores of Depression-Dejection and Vigor-Activity did not significantly change. The score of Total Mood significantly decreased only in the Mindfulness Art Therapy Short version. These results suggest that the Mindfulness Art Therapy Short Version may be more affective for improving mood, particularly depression and vigor, compared to Art Therapy alone.