Using mindful self-compassion (MSC) as a strategy to reduce stress and develop self-compassion in nursing students

The aim of the current study is to explore the effects of a mindful self-compassion (MSC) program on nursing students’ self-compassion with mindfulness, compassion fatigue, and stress. The study was a randomized wait-list controlled design conducted in Hong Kong. All participating subjects were students with clinical practicum experience in Registered Nurse (RN) programs. They were randomized into equal-sized intervention and wait-list control groups. The subjects in the intervention (INT) group participated first in an 8-week MSC program conducted by a certified MSC teacher, then followed by the subjects in the wait-list control (WLC) group with the same MSC program. Data were collected at various time points: before the MSC program, 4 weeks into the MSC program, upon completion of the MSC program, and 4 weeks after completion of the MSC program. The effects of the MSC training were measured using the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire - Chinese version (FFMQ-C), Self-Compassion Scale – Chinese (SCS-C), Chinese Professional Quality of Life scale (Chinese ProQOL-5), and the Chinese Perceived Stress Scale (Chinese PSS). When comparing the two groups, significant differences were identified in individual facets of mindfulness (observing, acting-with-awareness, nonjudging-of-inner-experience, and nonreactivity-of-inner-experience) and their overall scores using the FFMQ-C questionnaire; constructs of self-compassion (self-kindness, self-judgment, common-humanity, isolation, mindfulness, and over-identification) and their overall scores in the SCS-C questionnaire; levels of compassion fatigue (compassion satisfaction and burnout) using the Chinese ProQOL-5 questionnaire; and levels of stress using the Chinese PSS questionnaire. The MSC program was found to be effective in increasing the mindfulness and self-compassion levels, while decreasing the compassion fatigue, burnout, and stress levels of the nursing students. The findings suggest that the MSC program can be used as a stress reduction strategy for nursing students. To extend the applicability of the MSC program, future studies may focus on participants with psychological problems. All rights reserved.