Written by Angeline A. De Leon, Staff Writer. A 6-week intervention of mindfulness meditation and yoga significantly decreased stress and improved feelings of peace, focus, and endurance, as well as happiness, positivity, personal satisfaction and self-confidence in the participating medical students.
Occupational day-to-day stress has become typical for the average American worker. For those in the medical field, however, stress levels can be uniquely high and sustained. Medical students, in particular, because of intense academic pressure and continuous exposure to human suffering, exhibit a significant deterioration in quality of life, with about 25% of students developing depression and about 50% experiencing burnout 1,2. Research in the social sciences indicates that this overall sense of dissatisfaction with life among students can continue into residency and even future clinical practice 3, where it has the potential to negatively impact the quality of patient care. The practice of mindfulness and yoga meditation, incorporating breathing exercises, bodily awareness, and present-centered focus, has shown great efficacy in reducing stress and lowering general anxiety and depression over time 4, however, only a handful of mindfulness-based stress reduction interventions have been applied in the medical school setting. In a study conducted by researchers at the New York Presbyterian Hospital, the effects of yoga and meditation were examined in relation to the perceived stress and sense of wellbeing of students enrolled in a medical school program.
The prospective case-control study involved a total of 32 medical students in the first through third year of medical school. Prior to and following the intervention (spanning the beginning of clinical rotations through the end of rotation written exams), students were asked to complete the Perceived Stress Scale Survey and a self-assessment survey evaluating subjective feelings of well-being. The intervention required participation in a six-week yoga and meditation program, involving biweekly Hatha yoga classes (40 minutes of postures, 10 minutes of breathing exercises, and 10 minutes of meditation) which were taught by certified yoga instructors.
Quantitative analyses revealed a statistically significant decrease in perceived stress over the course of the six-week intervention (18.44 vs. 14.52, p = 0.004). Following the intervention, significant improvement was also seen on several self-assessment survey parameters, including feelings of peace, focus, and endurance, as well as happiness, positivity, personal satisfaction and self-confidence. Researchers also observed unquantified improvement in other qualities such as patience and fatigue among students.
Thus, in line with the emerging body of research outlining the numerous benefits of yoga and meditation, the current study supports the unique stress-relieving, mood-enhancing effects of regular meditative practice. In the effort to minimize the burden of emotional distress in the workplace and boost overall sense of well-being, the incorporation of yoga-based programs should be considered in school and professional settings, especially within the medical field. Randomized controlled trials would be helpful in designing such future interventions for medical vicinities and other workplace environments.
Source: Prasad L, Varrey A, Sisti G. Medical students’ stress levels and sense of well-being after six weeks of yoga and meditation. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2016: 251849. DOI: 10.1155/2016/9251849.
© 2016 Lona Prasad et al. Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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Posted September 18, 2017.
Angeline A. De Leon, MA, graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2010, completing a bachelor’s degree in psychology, with a concentration in neuroscience. She received her master’s degree from The Ohio State University in 2013, where she studied clinical neuroscience within an integrative health program. Her specialized area of research involves the complementary use of neuroimaging and neuropsychology-based methodologies to examine how lifestyle factors, such as physical activity and meditation, can influence brain plasticity and enhance overall connectivity.
References:
- Dyrbye LN, Thomas MR, Massie FS, et al. Burnout and Suicidal Ideation among US Medical StudentsMedical Student Burnout and Suicidal Ideation. Annals of internal medicine. 2008;149(5):334-341.
- Dyrbye LN, Thomas MR, Shanafelt TD. Systematic review of depression, anxiety, and other indicators of psychological distress among US and Canadian medical students. Academic Medicine. 2006;81(4):354-373.
- Shapiro SL, Schwartz GE, Bonner G. Effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction on medical and premedical students. Journal of behavioral medicine. 1998;21(6):581-599.
- Oron G, Allnutt E, Lackman T, Sokal-Arnon T, Holzer H, Takefman J. A prospective study using Hatha Yoga for stress reduction among women waiting for IVF treatment. Reproductive biomedicine online. 2015;30(5):542-548.
