Paediatric nurses often face high levels of burnout and occupational stress due to the emotional demands of caring for sick children. Understanding effective ways to reduce these problems is very important for their well-being and quality of patient care.

This systematic review and meta -analysis evaluated the effectiveness of different interventions aimed at reducing these issues.

Following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines, a comprehensive search was conducted across multiple databases: PubMed/MEDLINE, CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and ProQuest Nursing and Allied Health. Seventeen studies were included in the systematic review, of which 13 provided sufficient data for meta -analysis, involving a total of 624 participants. Data were analysed using a random-effects model, and the standardised mean difference (SMD) was calculated to measure intervention effects. Study quality was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias tool.

Interventions significantly reduced occupational stress among paediatric nurses [SMD = 0.437, 95 % CI (0.253–0.621), p < 0.001], with low heterogeneity. For burnout measured by the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), the overall effect was small but statistically significant [SMD = 0.154, 95 % CI (0.002–0.306), p = 0.047]. Among MBI subscales, only depersonalisation showed significant improvement. When other burnout tools were used, interventions produced a moderate and significant reduction in burnout [SMD = 0.431, 95 % CI (0.166–0.697), p = 0.001]. Most studies had low to moderate risk of bias.

The findings suggest that interventions, especially educational programmes and mindfulness training, are effective in reducing occupational stress in paediatric nurses. More high-quality, long-term studies are needed to develop better targeted interventions for paediatric nursing settings.