The Effect of Mindfulness-based Techniques Education on Nursing Students' Anxiety Upon Entering the Clinical Environment during the Covid-19 Outbreak

ABSTRACT

Background: During the Covid-19 outbreak period, psychological disorders, especially anxiety, are highly prevalent among nursing students. Presence in a clinical setting for the first time, despite Covid-19 disease, exacerbates anxiety. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of Mindfulness Based Techniques training on anxiety of nursing students in clinical environments arrival. Methods: This is a quasi-experimental that was conducted in 2020-21 on 46 students selected by the census method and randomly assigned to control (n = 22) and intervention groups (n = 22). Two samples were excluded due to exclusion criteria. The data gathering tool was a demographic questionnaire and the Spielberger's Standard Scale. The intervention was carried out by the instructions of Kabat Zinn's mindfulness meetings in 8 sessions for the intervention group. Data were analyzed using SPSS ver.20 software. Results: The results of this study showed that the average anxiety scores of students after the intervention was statistically significant in both groups. The average of students' anxiety scores in the intervention group increased after the intervention. Conclusions: The implementation of an educational program based on mindfulness techniques had a positive effect on nursing students' anxiety disorder during the Covid-19 outbreak period. Therefore, it is recommended to use mindfulness techniques to improve the anxiety of different classes, especially students in certain circumstances, the prevalence of Covid-19 disease.