Abstract
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.
Highlights
It is apparent that the mental health of university undergraduate students is a worldwide concern
Modrego-Alarcón et al [19] showed that virtual reality exposure enhanced retention rates and session attendance within an mindfulness-based programs (MBPs) for university students, and the MBP was effective in reducing stress even when shortening the duration of the classic mindfulness practices in benefit of the introduction of practice with virtual reality
The results of the present study showed that university students engaged well with the course, and significantly imsought to overcome the feasibility and acceptability limitations of “first-generation” MBPs studies observed with university students [7,16]
Summary
It is apparent that the mental health of university undergraduate students is a worldwide concern. Modrego-Alarcón et al [19] showed that virtual reality exposure enhanced retention rates and session attendance within an MBP for university students, and the MBP was effective in reducing stress even when shortening the duration of the classic mindfulness practices in benefit of the introduction of practice with virtual reality. In this context, and using a pilot RCT, the present study explored the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of a mindfulness- and compassion-based program, an adapted version of MBCT, for university students (MCBP for University Life) in improving perceived stress and psychological distress symptoms. The following four potential mechanisms of change were independently explored in relation to these main outcomes: mindfulness skills, decentering, self-compassion, and experiential avoidance
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