Associations of psychological flexibility, mindfulness, and valued living with psychological distress among nursing students

The findings of this study indicate that enhancing psychological flexibility, mindfulness, and valued living may be beneficial for supporting the mental health of nursing students. Recommendations for practice include incorporating mindfulness exercises such as breathing practices and body scans into training sessions in nursing schools; organizing psychological flexibility workshops; and offering valued living-focused seminars and activities that support students in aligning their actions with personal values. In addition, online guides, short videos, or modules could be provided by universities to make these components more accessible to students. These concepts may also be incorporated into the design of mental health interventions to both alleviate distress and strengthen well-being among nursing students. However, due to the cross-sectional design, causal inferences cannot be made; thus, future longitudinal and experimental studies are needed to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of these approaches.