Implementation of a Mindfulness Activity for Nursing Students with Test Anxiety


Book Description

Undergraduate nursing students are voicing a high level of test anxiety related to the high stakes testing within their learning environment. Test anxiety has been well documented in nursing education (Bartlett, Taylor, & Nelson, 2016; Duty, Christian, Loftus, & Zappi, 2016; Gibson, 2014). Quinn and Peters (2016) noted that the "presence of high-stakes comprehensive examinations and the consequences of poor performance complicates test anxiety for nursing students" (p. 146). High stakes testing is not a new educational concept, yet test anxiety continues to escalate each year, especially in nursing (Quinn & Peters, 2016). Text anxiety interventions within the curriculum may prove helpful in nursing students' success. Within studies pertaining to test anxiety, mindfulness has helped decrease test anxiety (Bamber & Schneider, 2016; Ratanasiripong et al., 2015; Spadaro & Hunker, 2016). Mindfulness is considered a strategy used in the third wave of behavioral change approaches; therefore, systematic desensitization was used in a mindfulness intervention for test anxiety. The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to examine the impact a mindfulness intervention, using systematic desensitization, had on community college nursing students' test anxiety levels and test scores. Data were collected and analyzed using a sample of 107 associate degree nursing students from a community college in Texas. The intervention group listened to a multimedia Confidence Training for Tests between nursing exams. Post-intervention test anxiety scores were significantly lower (p







Evaluating Mindfulness in the Classroom


Book Description

In a time in the world where personal stress is at a peak, there is a heavier emphasis in society on reducing stress through various means such as meditation, guided imagery, journaling, and mindfulness. Given the increased stress that students are experiencing, whether related to the intense nature of an undergraduate nursing program, the COVID-19 pandemic, or a combination of both, nursing students in particular may benefit from implementation of mindfulness techniques in the classroom. For this study, participants were randomly assigned to either an experimental group that listened to a mindfulness intervention recording or a control group that listened to a guided breathing exercise. Prior to the start of the study, students filled out a survey that contained both the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS; Cohen et al., 1983) and the Mindful Awareness Attention Scale (MAAS; Brown & Ryan, 2003). At the conclusion of the study, students were given a post-survey that addressed the exact same PSS and MAAS questions. Post-study scores between groups were compared and there was no difference in mindfulness between the intervention and control group. There was also no evidence that mindfulness had any effect on perceived stress. However, when comparing boxplots of combined (whole class) PSS scores, PSS scores at the end of the semester appeared to be lower than the class average at the beginning of the semester. Due to the post-test design, this could not be analyzed statistically, but this is a topic for further exploration. Last, student exam grades were also analyzed to determine if the intervention group displayed higher exam averages than the control group and there were no differences noted. Keywords: mindfulness, stress, classroom, nursing







Good Thinking


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Good Thinking


Book Description







Integrative Health Nursing Interventions for Vulnerable Populations


Book Description

This book provides nurses, clinicians, practitioners, educators and students working with vulnerable and underserved populations with essential information on effective wellness strategies to address inadequate nutrition, promote physical activity, and reduce perceived stress through an integrative health nursing framework. It begins with an overview of cultural humility, health inequities, and social justice, establishing the need for an integrative health nursing framework. In turn, the book addresses a broad range of interventions; particular attention is given to wellness strategies designed to prevent the adverse effects of poor nutrition, perceived stress, and lack of physical activity. Written by respected experts in the field, the book offers readers valuable insights into strategies for working with vulnerable populations. Accordingly, it will appeal to researchers working to diminish health inequities among vulnerable populations, and will be of particular interest to nursing educators, practitioners, and students.




Complementary and Alternative Therapies in Nursing


Book Description

Now in its eighth edition, this highly acclaimed, newly revised and expanded text continues to deliver innovative practice guidelines for evidence-based complementary and alternative therapies that can easily be incorporated into curriculum and applied directly to practice. The book describes holistic treatments that are culturally appropriate for clients across the life span and NCLEX®-relevant content appropriate for preparation of advanced practice nurses. The eighth edition reflects an expanding interest in these therapies worldwide and features numerous sidebars by international contributors who provide a global perspective that builds readers’ understanding of the cultural derivations and uses of complementary therapies. The new edition also highlights digital and technical advances, provides key updates to foundations for practice, and describes cutting-edge research. Included is a description of the evolution and establishment of the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) and its current national agenda. Updated legal information regarding regulation and credentialing, enlarged safety and precaution content, and the inclusion of a broad range of therapies add to the utility of this new edition. The only book about complementary and alternative therapies written specifically for nurses that focuses on essential evidence for practice, the text uses a consistent format to present a definition and description of each therapy, a summary of how it evolved, and a rationale for its use. The scientific basis and research evidence for use of each therapy in a variety of specific patient populations is emphasized. Sidebars in each chapter describe the use of various therapies in different settings worldwide. All chapters provide practical guidelines for using the therapies to promote health and comfort while increasing patients’ well-being and satisfaction with care. New to the Eighth Edition: Updated research-based content, including new cutting-edge references Expanded content about technology and digital resources New Foreword and endorsements by prominent scholars Describes key steps in evolution of the NCCIH and its current national agenda Highlights indigenous culturally based therapies New chapter: “Systems of Care: Sowa Rigpa—The Tibetan Knowledge of Healing” New chapter: “Independent Personal Use of Complementary Therapies” New chapter: “Afterword: Creating a Preferred Future—Editors’ Reflections” Updated information on legal concerns, regulation, and credentialing Enlarged safety and precaution content Helpful tips for selecting practitioners Use of therapies for nurses’ and patients’ self-care Strategies for initiating institution-wide therapies and programs Key Features: Delivers comprehensive and current guidelines for therapy use Written by highly respected nurse experts Employs a consistent format for ease of use Describes instructional techniques and safety precautions for each therapy Provides a strong international focus




Full Catastrophe Living (Revised Edition)


Book Description

The landmark work on mindfulness, meditation, and healing, now revised and updated after twenty-five years Stress. It can sap our energy, undermine our health if we let it, even shorten our lives. It makes us more vulnerable to anxiety and depression, disconnection and disease. Based on Jon Kabat-Zinn’s renowned mindfulness-based stress reduction program, this classic, groundbreaking work—which gave rise to a whole new field in medicine and psychology—shows you how to use medically proven mind-body approaches derived from meditation and yoga to counteract stress, establish greater balance of body and mind, and stimulate well-being and healing. By engaging in these mindfulness practices and integrating them into your life from moment to moment and from day to day, you can learn to manage chronic pain, promote optimal healing, reduce anxiety and feelings of panic, and improve the overall quality of your life, relationships, and social networks. This second edition features results from recent studies on the science of mindfulness, a new Introduction, up-to-date statistics, and an extensive updated reading list. Full Catastrophe Living is a book for the young and the old, the well and the ill, and anyone trying to live a healthier and saner life in our fast-paced world. Praise for Full Catastrophe Living “To say that this wise, deep book is helpful to those who face the challenges of human crisis would be a vast understatement. It is essential, unique, and, above all, fundamentally healing.”—Donald M. Berwick, M.D., president emeritus and senior fellow, Institute for Healthcare Improvement “One of the great classics of mind/body medicine.”—Rachel Naomi Remen, M.D., author of Kitchen Table Wisdom “A book for everyone . . . Jon Kabat-Zinn has done more than any other person on the planet to spread the power of mindfulness to the lives of ordinary people and major societal institutions.”—Richard J. Davidson, founder and chair, Center for Investigating Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin–Madison “This is the ultimate owner’s manual for our lives. What a gift!”—Amy Gross, former editor in chief, O: The Oprah Magazine “I first read Full Catastrophe Living in my early twenties and it changed my life.”—Chade-Meng Tan, Jolly Good Fellow of Google and author of Search Inside Yourself “Jon Kabat-Zinn’s classic work on the practice of mindfulness to alleviate stress and human suffering stands the test of time, a most useful resource and practical guide. I recommend this new edition enthusiastically to doctors, patients, and anyone interested in learning to use the power of focused awareness to meet life’s challenges, whether great or small.”—Andrew Weil, M.D., author of Spontaneous Happiness and 8 Weeks to Optimum Health “How wonderful to have a new and updated version of this classic book that invited so many of us down a path that transformed our minds and awakened us to the beauty of each moment, day-by-day, through our lives. This second edition, building on the first, is sure to become a treasured sourcebook and traveling companion for new generations who seek the wisdom to live full and fulfilling lives.”—Diana Chapman Walsh, Ph.D., president emerita of Wellesley College