Abstract
BackgroundThe work of health professionals is characterized by a high demand for psychological and emotional resources and high levels of stress. Therefore, the promotion of commitment and job well-being through strategies such as increased mindfulness, is important among nursing workers. Although mindfulness has shown positive effects in the health field, few studies have explored the mechanisms and processes underlying these results. We investigated the mediating role of empathy (cognitive/affective) in the effect of mindfulness on the dimensions of engagement in nursing professionals.MethodsSample was comprised of 1268 Spanish nurses between 22 and 62 years old, that completed the Utrecht Labor Engagement Scale and the adapted versions of Mindful Attention Awareness Scale and Basic Empathy Scale. The relationship between variables to be included in the regression analyses, bivariate correlations were carried out, and the descriptive statistics of these variables were also found. To estimate the mediation model was used, in this case for multiple mediation effects.ResultsMindfulness is found to affect the Vigor and Dedication factors of engagement through cognitive empathy. While for the Absorption factor, the affective component of empathy also exerts a mediating role, although weaker than cognitive empathy. Cognitive empathy, as an individual factor, was shown to have a mediating effect between mindfulness and the factors of engagement in healthcare workers.ConclusionsThe level of mindfulness influences engagement of nursing professionals positively, and this result is mediated mainly by cognitive empathy. Both mindfulness and empathy are modifiable individual factors, so their intervention by designing and implementing specific programs, can increase the commitment and wellbeing of professionals generating benefits to workers and to their patients.
Highlights
The work of health professionals is characterized by a high demand for psychological and emotional resources and high levels of stress
For the relationships between Mindfulness and the two types of Empathy, data confirmed the existence of a positive correlation with Cognitive Empathy (r = .12, p < .001), while it was negative with Affective Empathy (r = −.17, p < .001)
According to the results of this study, nursing professionals showed a positive relationship between Cognitive Empathy and Engagement and Mindfulness
Summary
The work of health professionals is characterized by a high demand for psychological and emotional resources and high levels of stress. The importance of mindfulness in nursing work The work of health personnel is characterized by high psychological and emotional demands and a high level of perceived stress [3]. The term mindfulness has been defined by Warren and Ryan [7, 8] as the ability of the individual to be fully aware and receptive to the events and experiences of the present moment. This experience of “being present” is possible thanks to the ability to become aware of themselves, attending to what is conscious and accepting what happens without judging.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.