THE EFFECT OF A MINDFULNESS TRAINING PROGRAM ON PERCEIVED STRESS AND EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AMONG NURSING STUDENTS IN MOROCCO: AN EXPERIMENTAL PILOT STUDY

Mindfulness-based stress reduction has been shown to be effective in reducing stress levels and developing emotional competencies in nursing students, however, in some countries such as Morocco, this practice remains unexplored. The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of a mindful- ness-based stress reduction program on nursing students. The study used a quasi-experimental design in a single pre- test-post-test group with 20 nursing students from the Higher Institute of Nursing Professions and Health Techniques of Tetouan. Data were collected using a personal information form, the Perceived Stress Scale in Clinical Practicum (PSS- CP), and the Emotional Intelligence Scale (EIS). The results of the study indicate that the students' mean score on the PSS-CP scale was 2.19 ± 1.35 in the pretest, but decreased to 1.89 ± 1.28 in the posttest (p < .05). While the students' mean EIS score was 3.44 ± 1.26 in the pretest, it in creased to 3.76 ± 1.19 in the posttest (p < 0.05). A statistically significant relationship was found between perceived stress and EIS scores (r = 0.864, p < 0.05). Mindfulness-based stress reduction program training can improve psychological health by developing emotional competence and reducing stress in nursing students.