Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program on Job Satisfaction and Psychological Distress of Care Workers for Older Adults

AIM: Job satisfaction and psychological well-being are critical factors for productivity in nursing homes. This research investigated the effectiveness of the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program (MBSR) on the job satisfaction and psychological distress levels of Turkish care workers for older adults in a nursing home. METHODS: A pretest-posttest randomized experimental design was carried out with 62 care workers from a nursing home in Turkey. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either the 8-week MBSR or to the control group. The Job Satisfaction Scale and Brief Symptom Inventory were administered to the participants by the researchers before and after the intervention. RESULTS: The findings indicated that the care workers' job satisfaction and psychological well-being were below average. The MBSR program effectively increased job satisfaction and reduced participants' psychological distress in the intervention group. A decrease in job satisfaction and an increase in psychological distress were observed in the control group at posttest. CONCLUSION: MBSR can help increase the job satisfaction of the care workers, alleviate the psychological adverse effects of working in a stressful environment, and increase the quality of care given in nursing homes.