An Evaluation of an Online Brief Mindfulness-Based Intervention in Higher Education: A Pilot Conducted at an Australian University and a British University.

Jennifer Chung,Stephen Mckenzie,Kyle R Dyer,Astrid Coxon,Matthew Edward Mundy,Ian Hunt

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.752060

Abstract

Mental ill health among higher education students is a well-established problem; therefore, it is imperative to implement preventative approaches to support wellbeing. Blended and fully online education programmes widens access for mature or returning students; however, the psychological wellbeing of this sub-group of students is under-researched. Finally, evaluating wellbeing interventions that meet the needs of university students as well as accessible for online students is required. The aim of this study was to evaluate a brief, online and mindfulness-based intervention to assist the self-management of wellbeing and stress for both online and on-campus higher education students. The total sample included 427 participants (96% psychology students) at Monash University, Australia (n=283) and King’s College London (n=144), with 152 participants completing the whole study. Participants were allocated to a brief, self-guided, online and mindfulness-based intervention (over the course of one study period; n=297), or to a wait-list control group (n=148). Baseline and end of semester questionnaires included the 14-item Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale, 10-item Perceived Stress Scale and the 15-item Mindful Attention Awareness Scale. Regression modelling revealed the intervention condition accounted for up to 12% of the variability in change in student wellbeing, stress and mindfulness between the start and end of semester (when controlling for baseline). These findings support the implementation of a brief, online and asynchronous mindfulness-based intervention for supporting student mental health and psychological wellbeing. An on-going challenge in practice includes engaging and maintaining student engagement in wellbeing initiatives.

Highlights

Reduced mental health and wellbeing in university students compared with the general population have been widely reported and is a growing and alarming problem (Stallman, 2010; Storrie et al, 2010; Larcombe et al, 2016; Schofield et al, 2016)
Drop-Out Analysis The independent samples t-tests conducted between participants who completed the study and those that withdrew yield no evidence that participants differed significantly on any of outcome measures of Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (WEMWBS), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS)
Participants in the control and intervention groups did not differ on WEMWBS, PSS and MAAS scores at baseline, t(422) = 0.94, p = 0.35, 95% CI (−0.06, 0.17), Hedge’s g = 0.10; t(414) = 0.47, p = 0.64, 95% CI (−1.02, 1.65), Hedge’s g = 0.05; t(418) = 0.46, p = 0.64, 95% CI (−0.12, 0.19), Hedge’s g = 0.05, respectively

Summary

Introduction

Reduced mental health and wellbeing in university students compared with the general population have been widely reported and is a growing and alarming problem (Stallman, 2010; Storrie et al, 2010; Larcombe et al, 2016; Schofield et al, 2016). In the United States, anxiety in college students has almost doubled in 15 years, and over 20% report anxiety negatively impacts their studies (American College of Health Association, 2015). While high psychological distress and lower wellbeing in university students are a concern in itself, findings consistently demonstrate associations with a number of negative academic outcomes. These include decreased academic performance, lower academic self-efficacy, decreased motivation, less ambitious academic plans and lower engagement (Stallman, 2010; Lipson and Eisenberg, 2018).

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