Feasibility, Effectiveness, and Mechanisms of a Brief Mindfulness- and Compassion-Based Program to Reduce Stress in University Students
A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 15512026 |
|---|---|
| Authors | David Martínez‐Rubio (0000-0002-9346-3869, Universidad Europea de Madrid), Jaime Navarrete (0000-0002-9482-4822, Sant Joan de Déu Research Foundation, corresponding author), Jesús Montero‐Marín (0000-0001-5677-1662, Warneford Hospital) |
| Year | 2021 |
| Volume | 19 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 154-154 |
| Publication date | 2021-12-23 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1661-7827 • E-ISSN: 1660-4601 |
| Publisher | Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (PUBLISHER • CH) |
| DOI | 10.3390/ijerph19010154 |
| PMID | 35010414 |
| OpenAlex | W4200013999 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 7 |
| References cited | 48 |
The mental health of university students is a public health concern, as psychopathology has significantly risen among this population. Mindfulness-based programs may support their mental health, though more research is needed. We used a two-armed pilot randomized controlled trial to study the feasibility, preliminary effectiveness, and potential mechanisms of a brief 6-week instructor-led mindfulness- and compassion-based program (MCBP for University Life) on perceived stress and psychological distress. Thirty undergraduate psychology students participated (15 in the intervention group, and 15 as wait-list controls). Those in the intervention arm engaged well with the course and formal at-home practice, attending at least five sessions and meditating between 4-6 days per week. Significant improvements in perceived stress, psychological distress, mindfulness skills, decentering, self-compassion, and experiential avoidance were found at the end of the intervention, while the wait-list group remained unchanged. There were significant differences between the two groups in those variables at post-test, favoring the intervention arm with major effects. Reductions in stress were mediated by improvements in mindfulness skills, decentering, and self-compassion; meanwhile reductions in psychological distress were mediated by improvements in decentering. These results suggest that this intervention might be feasible and effective for university students, but more high-quality research is needed
Anxiety · Burnout · Compassion · Compassion fatigue · Distress · Experiential avoidance · Intervention (counseling · Mental health · Mindfulness · Population · Psychiatry · Psychotherapist · Randomized controlled trial · Self-compassion · Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes · Clinical Psychology · COVID-19 and Mental Health · Medicine · Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions · Psychology
Mediators of Mindfulness-Based Interventions in Children and Young People
The Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Programs for Mental Health Outcomes in Young Adults
The efficacy of compassion and self-compassion training programs for healthcare university students
The Impact of Resilience Interventions on University Students’ Mental Health and Well-Being
Experiential avoidance, engaged living, and burnout in medical students, residents and fellows
Modelling Well-Being with Mindfulness Intervention on Bottom- and Middle-40% Income Earners in Malaysia
Experiential Avoidance in Primary Care Providers
Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences
Prevalence and risk factors for mental health problems in university undergraduate students
How do mindfulness-based cognitive therapy and mindfulness-based stress reduction improve mental health and wellbeing? A systematic review and meta-analysis of mediation studies
Mental disorders among college students in the World Health Organization World Mental Health Surveys
Reconstructing and deconstructing the self
Do multiple outcome measures require p-value adjustment?
Initial Psychometric Properties of the Experiences Questionnaire
Mindfulness‐Based Interventions for University Students
Guidance on how to develop complex interventions to improve health and healthcare
The origins and nature of compassion focused therapy
R 2 effect-size measures for mediation analysis
The prevalence of depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms and sleep disturbance in higher education students during the Covid-19 pandemic
Examining the factor structure of the Self-Compassion Scale in 20 diverse samples
Interventions to reduce stress in university students
Effect of compassion meditation on neuroendocrine, innate immune and behavioral responses to psychosocial stress
Psychometric Properties of a European Spanish Version of the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS)
What defines mindfulness-based programs? The warp and the weft
A Pilot Study and Randomized Controlled Trial of the Mindful Self‐Compassion Program
What is compassion and how can we measure it? A review of definitions and measures
“Constant Stress Has Become the New Normal”
A mindfulness-based intervention to increase resilience to stress in university students (the Mindful Student Study)
Examining the factor structure of the 39-item and 15-item versions of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire before and after mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for people with recurrent depression.
A Review of Psychological Distress Among University Students
Mindfulness
Construction and factorial validation of a short form of the Self‐Compassion Scale
Preliminary Psychometric Properties of the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire–II
The Mental Health and Wellbeing of University Students
A model for cognitively-based compassion training
Effectiveness of providing university students with a mindfulness-based intervention to increase resilience to stress
A Global Measure of Perceived Stress
| Citations per year | 1.75 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2022 - 2026 (5) |
| Highly cited | No |