Yoga and perceived stress, self-compassion, and quality of life in undergraduate nursing students

• Main Authors: Elizabeth Kinchen, Victoria Loerzel, Theresia Portoghese
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2020-01-01
• Series: Journal of Education and Health Promotion
• Subjects: nursing students; quality of life; self-compassion; stress; yoga
• Online Access: http://www.jehp.net/article.asp?issn=2277-9531;year=2020;volume=9;issue=1;spage=292;epage=292;aulast=Kinchen

BACKGROUND: Student nurses' experience of stress while enrolled in educational programs is well-documented; however, complementary and alternative therapies to alleviate or prevent nursing program-related stressors are not. The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of a yoga intervention on stress, self-compassion, and quality of life in undergraduate nursing students. METHODS: Seventy-three undergraduate nursing students participated in this two-group, quasi-experimental, repeated-measures, study. Students self-selected participation in a one-hour yoga class, offered each week for 12 weeks, and completed Stress, Self-Compassion, and QOL scales at baseline, week 6, and week 12. Information on intervention participation and yoga practice outside the intervention was also solicited. Descriptive statistics and mixed-model analysis of variance were used to analyze the data. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences between groups over time on perceived stress or QOL. There were statistically significant differences between groups on self-kindness (F3, 69 = 3.86, P = 0.013). CONCLUSIONS: Further research on the effects of yoga for stress reduction in nursing students using randomized controlled trials is recommended.