Abstract

Background

Graduate nursing students frequently experience significant academic, clinical, professional, and personal demands that contribute to stress, burnout, and psychological distress. Mindfulness-based interventions have emerged as a potential strategy for promoting well-being and resilience among healthcare learners.

Purpose

The purpose of this integrative review was to examine the effects of mindfulness-based interventions on stress, burnout, resilience, and emotional regulation among graduate nursing students.

Methods

An integrative review was conducted using the Whittemore and Knafl methodology. Literature searches were performed in CINAHL, PsycINFO, and PubMed for studies published between 2000 and 2025. Primary research studies examining mindfulness-based interventions among graduate nursing students were eligible for inclusion. Studies involving interprofessional healthcare student cohorts were retained when graduate nursing students were included in the sample. Ten studies met inclusion criteria and were synthesized using a narrative approach. Study quality was evaluated using the Johns Hopkins Evidence-Based Practice framework.

Results

Mindfulness-based interventions were associated with reductions in perceived stress and improvements in resilience, emotional regulation, and adaptive coping. Although burnout outcomes were measured less consistently, available evidence suggested beneficial effects on emotional exhaustion and psychological well-being. Qualitative findings further highlighted increased self-awareness and improved ability to manage competing academic, professional, and personal demands.

Conclusions

Current evidence supports mindfulness-based interventions as a promising strategy for promoting psychological well-being among graduate nursing students. Across diverse educational settings and intervention formats, mindfulness was associated with positive outcomes related to stress management, resilience, and emotional regulation. Additional longitudinal and experimental research is needed to examine the sustainability of these effects and their influence on academic and professional outcomes.

LLU Discipline

Nursing

School

School of Nursing

First Advisor

Kimberly Dunker

Second Advisor

Melissa D. Duprey

Third Advisor

Vicki Moran

Degree Name

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

Year Degree Awarded

2026

Date (Title Page)

Summer 2026

Language

English

Type

Doctoral Project

Page Count

[17 p.], 1 p.

Digital Format

PDF

Digital Publisher

Loma Linda University Libraries

Usage Rights

This title appears here courtesy of the author, who has granted Loma Linda University a limited, non-exclusive right to make this publication available to the public. The author retains all other copyrights.

Collection

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Collection Website

http://scholarsrepository.llu.edu/etd/

Repository

Loma Linda University. Del E. Webb Memorial Library. University Archives

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