The effects of visualization meditation on the depression, anxiety, stress and achievement motivation levels of nursing students

Background: The implementation of distance education has caused difficulties in the education process of nursing students who receive applied education, as in other fields of education. Although visualization meditation is an attempt to relax the person, its effects on the health-promoting and achievement motivation levels of nursing students during the distance education process has not been examined. Objective: This quasi-experimental study was conducted to determine the effects of visualization meditation on the health and well-being and achievement-oriented motivation levels of the students who were in year one of their education and attending the bachelor of nursing online fundamentals of practice course. In this study, the researchers planned to implement visualization meditation among nursing students for the purpose of alleviating emotions experienced by these students due to the distance education process and lack of in-person interaction with students that would affect them negatively and evaluate the effectiveness of the meditation to be practiced. Design and methods: The sample of the study consisted of 80 nursing students. A personal information form, the Achievement-Oriented Motivation Scale, and the Stress/Anxiety/Depression Scale were administered to the students in the pretest. Afterwards, visualization meditation was practiced for 8 weeks, 20 min in each session, and the students were given posttests. Results: It was found that visualization meditation significantly increased the achievement-oriented motivation levels of the students and decreased their stress/anxiety/depression levels. Conclusion: The visualization meditation intervention that was used in this study can be used for relaxation and achievement motivation in nursing students.