Mindfulness-Based Psychoeducation for Burnout, Decision-Making, and Existential Anxiety in High-Risk Unit Nurses

NCT07468240 | Completed DMC

• 1 other identifier: AYBU-ETK-2025/1235
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 66
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

High-risk units, including intensive care, oncology, and emergency services, are clinical environments characterized by rapid decision-making demands and heavy workloads, placing substantial emotional and physical strain on nurses and other healthcare professionals. These challenging working conditions may contribute to burnout, negatively influence clinical decision-making processes, and increase levels of existential anxiety. Frequent exposure to death and critical illness can intensify nurses' confrontation with themes such as meaning, responsibility, and psychological resilience within their professional roles. Existential anxiety involves fundamental human concerns related to life, death, freedom, responsibility, and meaning, which may become more salient in high-risk healthcare settings. In recent years, mindfulness-based approaches have gained attention as effective interventions for supporting healthcare professionals. Mindfulness emphasizes present-moment awareness and a nonjudgmental attitude toward thoughts and emotions, and has been shown to help individuals cope with stress and emotional burden more adaptively. This study aims to evaluate the effects of a mindfulness-based psychoeducation program on burnout, clinical decision-making, and existential anxiety among nurses working in high-risk units, including intensive care, oncology, and emergency services. The findings of this study are expected to contribute to the development of supportive interventions that may enhance nurses' psychological well-being, professional functioning, and the overall quality of patient care.

Conditions

Burnout; Clinical Decision-making; Existential Anxiety

Keywords

Burnout, Professional; Anxiety, Existential; Clinical Decision-Making; Mindfulness; Nurses

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Burnout

  Burnout Scale - Short Version: The scale was developed by Maslach and Pines (2005) to assess individuals' levels of burnout and was adapted into Turkish by Tümkaya et al. (2009), who conducted validity and reliability analyses. The Short Version of the Burnout Scale is a unidimensional instrument consisting of 10 items rated on a seven-point Likert scale (1 = never, 2 = almost never, 3 = rarely, 4 = sometimes, 5 = often, 6 = very often, 7 = always). Higher scores obtained from the scale indicate higher levels of burnout. In the Turkish adaptation study conducted by Tümkaya et al. (2009), the Cronbach's alpha coefficient was reported as 0.91 (Tümkaya, Sabahattin, \& Çavuşoğlu, 2009).

  12 weeks

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Clinical decision-making

  12 weeks

Other Outcomes (1)

• Existential anxiety

  12 weeks

Study Arms (2)

Mindfulness-Based Psychoeducation Program

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants receive a mindfulness-based psychoeducational program.

Behavioral: Mindfulness-Based Psychoeducational Program

No Intervention

NO INTERVENTION

Participants receive no intervention during the study period.

Interventions

Mindfulness-Based Psychoeducational Program BEHAVIORAL

The mindfulness-based psychoeducational program is a structured, group-based intervention designed for nurses working in high-risk hospital units. The program includes mindfulness practices, psychoeducational content, and experiential exercises aimed at enhancing awareness, emotional regulation, and adaptive coping with work-related psychological challenges.

Mindfulness-Based Psychoeducation Program

Eligibility Criteria

• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Registered nurses working in high-risk clinical units, including intensive care units, oncology departments, and emergency services.
• Having at least one year of professional nursing experience.
• Willingness to participate in the study on a voluntary basis, with provision of informed consent.

You may not qualify if:

• Having a current or past diagnosis of a psychiatric disorder, such as schizophrenia, major depressive disorder, or bipolar disorder.
• Inability to complete the intervention program, defined as attendance of less than 70% of the scheduled sessions.
• Being pregnant or in the postpartum period, due to potential physical and psychological vulnerability during these stages.
• Presence of active suicidal ideation or a history of severe psychological trauma.
• Current use of psychoactive medication or ongoing intensive psychological treatment, including psychotherapy and/or pharmacological interventions.
• Previous participation in a mindfulness-based psychoeducational program.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Duzce University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Düzce University Hospital

Düzce, Centre, 81000, Turkey (Türkiye)

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Burnout, Psychological; Burnout, Professional; Anxiety Disorders

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Stress, Psychological; Behavioral Symptoms; Behavior; Occupational Stress; Occupational Diseases; Mental Disorders

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Model Details: This study uses a parallel-group randomized design. Eligible participants are randomly assigned to either an intervention group receiving a mindfulness-based psychoeducational program or a control group receiving no intervention during the study period. Outcomes are assessed at baseline and post-intervention.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: January 30, 2026
• First Posted: March 12, 2026
• Study Start: June 1, 2025
• Primary Completion: December 22, 2025
• Study Completion: December 22, 2025
• Last Updated: March 12, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-03

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

TU (1)