Improving mindful attention awareness among Saudi nursing students through autonomous sensory meridian response stimulation

Abstract

Context: Increase mindfulness can help the students in dealing and successfully finishing their studies. Therefore, it is warranted to know if autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) has an effect in the mindfulness of the nursing students. Aims: This study aimed to assess the immediate effects of ASMR stimulation on the mindful attention awareness of nursing students. Settings and Design: This is a quasi-experimental pre- and post-test design with two experimental groups (whispering and auditory triggers) and a comparison group (personal attention role play trigger). Materials and Methods: Fifty-four nursing students from the college of applied medical sciences were assigned into three groups: (a) the whispering group (n = 18), (b) the auditory group (n = 18), and (c) the personal attention group (n = 18). An adapted Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) was used to assess the mindful attention awareness of nursing students. Statistical Analysis Used: Paired t-tests and ANOVA were employed to identify significant differences between pre- and post-test scores for each group. Results: Both MAAS posttest scores of the whispering sound (d = 0.49) and auditory sound (d = 0.48) acquired a significant Cohen's effect size value when compared to the personal attention triggers, suggesting a high practical significance. However, when the two experimental groups were compared, the effect size value was not significant (d = −0.02), established an equal effect on the mindful attention awareness of nursing students. Conclusion: ASMR is considered a promising intervention in the nursing education to improve students' mindful attention awareness. Specifically, the whispering and auditory sounds are better than the personal attention trigger sounds in increasing the mindfulness attention awareness scores of the nursing students.