Mindfulness, perceived stress, and subjective well-being : a correlational study in primary care health professionals
Atanes, Ana C. M. (Mente Aberta - Brazilian Center for Mindfulness and Health Promotion, Department of Preventive Medicine, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo, UNIFESP)
Andreoni, Solange (Mente Aberta - Brazilian Center for Mindfulness and Health Promotion, Department of Preventive Medicine, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo, UNIFESP)
Hirayama, Marcio Sussumu (Mente Aberta - Brazilian Center for Mindfulness and Health Promotion, Department of Preventive Medicine, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo, UNIFESP)
Montero-Marín, Jesús (University of Zaragoza)
Barros, Viviam V. (Mente Aberta - Brazilian Center for Mindfulness and Health Promotion, Department of Preventive Medicine, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo, UNIFESP)
Ronzani, Telmo M. (Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Brazil)
Kozasa, Eliza H. (Instituto do Cérebro, Inst. Israelita de Ensino e Pesquisa Albert Einstein, SP Brazil)
Soler, Joaquim (Soler Ribaudi) (Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica Sant Pau)
Cebolla Marti, Ausias (Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición)
Garcia-Campayo, Javier (University of Zaragoza)
Demarzo, Marcelo (Mente Aberta - Brazilian Center for Mindfulness and Health Promotion, Department of Preventive Medicine, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo, UNIFESP)
Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica Sant Pau

Date:	2015
Abstract:	Primary health care professionals (PHPs) usually report high levels of distress and burnout symptoms related to job strain. Mindfulness, defined as non-judgmental-present-moment awareness, seems to be a moderator in the causal association between life stressors and well-being. This study aimed to verify correlations among self-reported mindfulness, perceived stress (PS), and subjective well-being (SW) in Brazilian PHPs. We performed a correlational cross-sectional study in a purposive sample of Brazilian PHPs (physicians, nurses, nursing assistants, and community health workers), working in community-oriented primary care programs (known locally as "Family Health Programs"). We used validated self-reporting instruments: the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and the Subjective Well-being Scale (SWS). We performed a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), through regression coefficients (beta) in relation to the professional category (nursing assistant), in addition to the length of time in the same job (under than 6 months) that had indicated the lowest level of PS. Participants (n = 450) comprised community health workers (65. 8 %), nursing assistants (18 %), registered nurses (10. 0 %), and doctors (family physicians) (6. 0 %); 94 % were female and 83. 1 % had worked in the same position for more than one year. MANOVA regression analysis showed differences across professional categories and length of time in the same job position in relation to mindfulness, PS, and SW. Nurses demonstrated lower levels of mindfulness, higher PS, and SW negative affect, as well as lower SW positive affect. Being at work for 1 year or longer showed a clear association with higher PS and lower SW positive affect, and no significance with mindfulness levels. Pearson's coefficient values indicated strong negative correlations between mindfulness and PS, and medium correlations between mindfulness and SW. In this study, there were clear correlations between mindfulness, PS, and SW across different primary care professional categories and time in the same job position, suggesting specific vulnerabilities that should be addressed through the development of staff awareness, stress prevention, and well-being interventions.
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, sempre que no sigui amb finalitats comercials, i sempre que es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Subject:	Mindfulness ; Perceived stress ; Subjective well-being ; Primary health care professionals ; Health services research
Published in:	BMC complementary and alternative medicine, Vol. 15 (september 2015) , ISSN 1472-6882

DOI: 10.1186/s12906-015-0823-0
PMID: 26329810

7 p, 648.9 KB

The record appears in these collections:
Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Health sciences and biosciences > Institut de Recerca Sant Pau
Articles > Research articles
Articles > Published articles