Thesis

at work, and on the nurses’ work-related support. Thus, even though this intervention study
wanted to target the individual and not the organization, the mentioned beneficial effects
clearly showed that the intervention had positive effects on the organizational level as well.
When it comes to the reported health by the nurses, the researchers showed that the peer-
support group had a beneficial effect because the health as reported by the nurses was
increased after the 12 month intervention program. The levels of emotional exhaustion,
anxiety, and depression were decreased whereas vitality levels were increased for the nurses
after the intervention. The researchers point out the positive effects of the intervention being
due to the fact that it was the nurses who gave suggestions as to which themes should be
discussed in the intervention sessions, and thus it was the nurses own thoughts which could be
reflected upon in the sessions.
Cohen-Katz, Wiley, Capuano, Baker & Shapiro (2005) looked into the area of Mindfulness-
Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). This intervention technique was created by Jon Kabat-Zinn
(1990, in Cohen-Katz, Wiley, Capuano, Baker & Shapiro, 2005) and it focuses on the notion
of mindfulness, which is described as a person being completely present to his/her experience
without judging or resisting. The technique of MBSR is being taught for a period of 8 weeks
and the intervention comprise of a 6-hour long withdrawal taking place between week number
6 or 7. People taking part in interventions like this are required to practice the technique of
mindfulness 6 days per week and they are also given tapes to assist them in this. The
intervention also entails instructions of communication abilities, reactions to stress, and
empathy for oneself together with exercises in order for the people involved to incorporate the
mentioned concepts.
In their research, Cohen-Katz et al. (2005) wanted to see if MBSR would have a positive
effect on burnout and also decrease psychological distress, at the same time as the MBSR
intervention would increase attention and mindful awareness, in nurses. The results of the
research showed that MBSR was beneficial in decreasing burnout levels, since the nurses in
the study reported considerable decreases in emotional exhaustion and depersonalization
while increasing their levels of personal accomplishment. The positive results for emotional
exhaustion could bee seen to last up to three months after the intervention had finished. The
positive results for depersonalization and personal accomplishment could not show the same
significant beneficial effects after interruption of the intervention. Thus, the researchers
concluded that the MBSR intervention appeared to have the most beneficial effect on