Cognitive behavioral therapy helps nurses manage stress

(HealthDay) -- A once-weekly cognitive behavioral intervention (CBI) significantly reduces nurses' occupational stress and fatigue and increases vigor, according to research published in the August issue of Applied Nursing Research.

Sarid Orly, Ph.D., of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Beer-Sheva, Israel, and colleagues conducted a study involving 20 nurses who participated in a CBI course and 16 control nurses matched by age, education, marital status, and hospital department. The authors sought to evaluate the impact of CBI on nurses' occupational stress and overall well-being, specifically their sense of coherence (SOC), perceived stress (PSS), and mood states.

The researchers found that the 64-hour course, conducted in four-hour increments once per week, yielded significant increases in participants' SOC and vigor when compared with that of control nurses who did not participate in the CBI. PSS and fatigue were also significantly reduced.

"The present study investigated the effects of CBI group intervention upon nurses' perceived SOC, PSS, and mood states in comparison with a control group," the authors write. "Results showed that only nurses who had participated in the CBI course had higher SOC, more vigor, less PSS, and less fatigue upon completion of the study."

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