Effect of Mindfulness-Based Self-Compassion Program on Self-Compassion, Secondary Traumatic Stress, and Professional Quality of Life in Midwives and Nurses Working in Obstetrics: A Randomized Controlled Trial

This study aims to examine the effect of a Mindfulness-Based Self-Compassion Program on self-compassion levels, secondary traumatic stress, and professional quality of life in midwives and nurses working in obstetrics. Healthcare professionals in this field are frequently exposed to traumatic experiences such as complicated deliveries, perinatal loss, and obstetric emergencies, which may lead to secondary traumatic stress and reduced professional quality of life over time. This study is designed as a pre-test/post-test randomized controlled trial. A total of 80 participants (40 intervention, 40 control) will be recruited from Gaziantep Cengiz Gökçek Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital. The intervention group will receive an 8-week Mindfulness-Based Self-Compassion Program (one session per week, 60-90 minutes each). The control group will receive no intervention. Outcomes will be measured before and after the program using validated scales for self-compassion, secondary traumatic stress, and professional quality of life.

Inclusion Criteria: * Working as a midwife or nurse in obstetrics * Actively employed in the relevant unit of the study institution * 18 years of age or older * Able to read and understand Turkish * Willing to participate voluntarily in the study Exclusion Criteria: * Incomplete or incorrect completion of data collection forms * Leaving the institution or withdrawing from the study during the research process * Failure to complete post-test measurements * Having participated in a self-compassion, mindfulness, or similar psychoeducation program within the last six months * Intervention group participants are expected to attend at least 80% of program sessions. Participants attending fewer than seven out of eight sessions will be excluded from the analysis.