Effects of Mindfulness Therapy on Stress and Mindfulness Levels in Nursing Students: A Network Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Aim

This study employed a network meta-analysis to compare the effects of multiple mindfulness-based interventions on stress and mindfulness levels among nursing students.

Methods

Systematic searches were conducted in PubMed, the Cochrane Library, EMBASE and Web of Science for clinical randomized controlled trials evaluating mindfulness therapies for stress and mindfulness outcomes in nursing students. The search spanned from each database's inception to 28 February 2025. Study quality was assessed using the Cochrane-recommended Risk of Bias tool. Analyses were performed using Stata 14.0 software.

Results

Eight articles, encompassing 744 participants, were incorporated into the analysis. Compared with acceptance and commitment therapy, mindfulness-based stress reduction therapy, mindfulness meditation and the control group were all effective in reducing stress scores among nursing students. The surface under the cumulative ranking curve values indicated the following ranking for the efficacy of reducing stress scores in nursing students: mindfulness-based stress reduction therapy > mindfulness meditation > control > acceptance and commitment therapy.

Regarding the enhancement of mindfulness scores, mindfulness meditation demonstrated more significant improvement in nursing students' mindfulness scores than the control and acceptance and commitment therapy groups. Additionally, mindfulness-based stress reduction therapy led to greater increases in mindfulness scores compared with acceptance and commitment therapy. The surface under the cumulative ranking curve values suggested the following ranking for improving nursing students' mindfulness scores: mindfulness meditation > mindfulness-based stress reduction therapy > control > acceptance and commitment therapy.

Conclusions

Mindfulness meditation might represent the optimal intervention. Nevertheless, considering the quality and methodological constraints associated with the included diverse interventions, findings require further validation to strengthen the robustness of the conclusions.