The association of mindfulness and job performance among non-clinical healthcare employee in Madinah, Saudi Arabia
Duja N. Zarnogi, Fawziah A. Roublah, Nader Alqerafi
A
BSTRACT
Introduction:
In the high-pressure environment of healthcare, mindfulness has emerged as a vital psychological resource. While research often focuses on clinical staff, the impact of trait mindfulness on the administrative “backbone” of healthcare organizations remains under-explored. This study examines the relationship between trait mindfulness and three dimensions of job performance—task performance, contextual performance, and counterproductive work behavior (CWB)—among non-clinical healthcare workers.
Methods:
An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted with 382 Saudi non-clinical staff across six governmental hospitals in Al-Madinah Al-Monawara, Saudi Arabia. Data were collected using five-facet mindfulness questionnaire (FFMQ-15) and Individual Work Performance Questionnaire (IWPQ). Data was analyzed with Statistical Package for the Social Sciences program (SPSS), 23.0 version.
Results:
Trait mindfulness was the only consistent predictor across all performance domains. It demonstrated a particularly strong negative correlation with CWBs subscale β = −0.25; r = −0.626 with the regression model explaining 42.6% of the variance in this domain. Younger staff (18–25 years) reported significantly higher mindfulness than mid-career professionals (36–44 years). After accounting for mindfulness, traditional predictors such as age, gender, marital status, education, and experience lost their independent significance in the multivariate models.
Conclusions:
Mindfulness functions as a primary self-regulatory resource, acting as a “behavioral brake” that inhibits impulsive or maladaptive responses in the workplace. The results suggest that cumulative occupational stress may erode mindful awareness over a career. Healthcare organizations should consider developing and implementing Mindfulness based strategies, particularly for mid-career staff, to restore psychological resources and enhance operational excellence.