Mindfulness, stress coping and everyday resilience among emerging youth in a university setting: a mixed methods approach

Srividya Ramasubramanian

doi:10.1080/02673843.2016.1175361

Srividya Ramasubramanian

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1080/02673843.2016.1175361

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Abstract

Mindfulness is defined as non-judgmental awareness in the present lived experience. Researchers find that mindfulness training has benefits such as enhanced positive emotions, reduced stress and increased well-being. However, empirical research on the effectiveness of mindfulness curricula on emerging adults in educational settings is sparse. The present study takes a step towards filling this gap by examining The role of mindfulness communication in improving stress coping among young people. Specifically, this study used a mixed methods approach combining qualitative journaling with a pre-test post-test experiment to understand how a mindfulness-based communication course improves everyday resilience for first-year college students. Preliminary findings suggest that participants exposed to mindfulness communication training experience more positive emotions and report lesser perceived stress. Further research is needed to better understand the relationships among mindfulness communication, stress coping and academic buoyancy.

Highlights

Mindfulness is defined as non-judgmental awareness in the present moment (Kabat-Zinn, 1990)
This study used a mixed methods approach combining qualitative journaling with a pre-test post-test experiment to understand how a mindfulnessbased communication course improves everyday resilience for first-year college students
Preliminary findings suggest that participants exposed to mindfulness communication training experience more positive emotions and report lesser perceived stress

Summary

Introduction

Mindfulness is defined as non-judgmental awareness in the present moment (Kabat-Zinn, 1990). The present study takes a process-oriented approach that applies positive psychology and the broadenand-build theory to understand the underlying mechanisms by which mindfulness communication leads to adaptive stress coping among youth in a first-year seminar setting. In this exploratory study, we combine qualitative journaling with an experimental design to tap into the nuances of transformative learning using rich subjective experiential methods. College students often need to establish new peer and sometimes romantic relationships while forming their identities as young adults by discovering their own interests and preferences On top of these social–emotional developmental tasks, college students need to balance their social demands with their academic demands because college coursework is often significantly more rigorous than what students managed in high school. Within emotion-focused coping, we find two types of emotional behaviours: one

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