The effect of cognitive–behavioral stress management training on improving psychological symptoms and quality of life in nurses

As a stressful profession, nursing deals with different aspects of human health and illness, and stress can threaten nurses’ health and performance. As a result, using preventive stress management programs seems necessary. The present study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of cognitive–behavioral stress management training in improving psychological symptoms (stress, anxiety, and depression) and quality of life in nurses. The design of this study was quasi-experimental with pretest-posttest and a control group. The statistical population comprised all nurses working in Bandar Abbas Shari'ati Hospital. The study sample included all 30 nurses selected through convenience sampling method. They equally and randomly were divided into experiment and control groups. Depression, anxiety, and stress scale and the Farsi version of WHOQOL-BREF were used to collect data. The results showed there was a significant difference between pretest and posttest of experimental group in the mean scores of stress, anxiety, and quality of life; however, there was no significant difference in depression. Control group mean scores did not show a significant difference between pretest and posttest. There was no significant difference between the control and experimental groups before intervention in stress, anxiety, depression, and quality of life. The findings of this study suggest that, as a useful clinical intervention, stress management skill training is an effective way to improve mental distress and quality of life.