The efficacy of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy on fatigue, post-traumatic stress disorder, and occupational cognitive failures of nurses in the post-COVID-19 era

During the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses faced unprecedented challenges they had not experienced before, leading to multiple psychological health issues. The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy on fatigue, post-traumatic stress disorder, and cognitive job failures among nurses in the post-COVID-19 era.

The current research utilized a semi-experimental design with a pretest-posttest approach, employing a control group. The study population consisted of nurses from hospitals in the six provinces of Tehran in 2022. The study sample included 36 nurses who were selected purposively and randomly allocated into the experimental and control groups. The data collection tools included questionnaires assessing the severity of fatigue, post-traumatic stress, and cognitive job failures. The experimental group received eight sessions of 90-minute mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, while the control group did not receive any intervention.

The results indicate that mindfulness-based cognitive therapy significantly reduces fatigue, post-traumatic stress disorder, memory, attention, motor skills, and estimation among nurses.

The findings demonstrate that mindfulness-based cognitive therapy significantly contributes to the reduction of psychological disorders resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic among nurses. Therefore, it is essential to identify and provide psychological treatment for nurses involved in the care of COVID-19 patients in specialized units during the pandemic.