Ramalisa-Budeli, RudoDu Plessis, EmmerentiaScholtz, Suegnet2025-06-132025-06-132025-05Ramalisa-Buḓeli, R., du Plessis, E. & Scholtz, S. Exploring how mindfulness enhances attentiveness: a qualitative study with South African mental health nurses. BMC Nursing 24, 569 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-025-03008-w.1472-6955 (online)10.1186/s12912-025-03008-whttp://hdl.handle.net/2263/102813DATA AVAILABILITY : All the data (recorded interviews, consent forms, transcriptions, field notes and data analysis and coding) used in this research are from the corresponding author.BACKGROUND : This qualitative, constructivist grounded theory addressed the gap in understanding how mental health nurses cultivate attentiveness through mindfulness practices. This was done by examining attentiveness as both an expression of care and a facilitator of human connectedness. DESIGN : Constructivist grounded theory. METHODS : The study population consisted of nurses working in South African psychotherapy wards, where mindfulness was integrated into daily care practices. Three psychiatric hospitals in South Africa were selected, and 11 participants were recruited via nonprobability snowball sampling method. The data were collected between June and November 2021 via virtual and face-to-face individual interviews supplemented with field notes. FINDINGS : Three categories of cultivating attentiveness through mindfulness practices were identified: foundations for fostering attentiveness through mindfulness; mindfulness practices; and the outcomes derived from such practices. These categories exhibited interconnectedness by featuring shared ideas and overlapping themes and subthemes. CONCLUSIONS : When mental health nurses in this study practice mindfulness, they are attentive and develop a deeper understanding of themselves which conveys to patients.en© The Author(s) 2025. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.AttentivenessMental health nurseMindfulnessNurse–patient relationshipArticle