Mindfulness to improve the mental health of university students. A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Frontiers in public health – January 01, 2023
Source: PubMed
Summary
Mindfulness programs significantly enhance mental health among university students, as evidenced by a systematic review and meta-analysis of 21 studies involving hundreds of participants. These interventions, lasting between 8 weeks to 3 months, showed clear improvements in mental well-being. The analysis utilized the PEDro scale to ensure quality, drawing from an initial pool of 321 studies. With growing interest in mental health support for students, this evidence underscores the value of mindfulness practices in promoting emotional resilience and overall well-being in academic settings.
Abstract
This systematic review and meta-analysis was to analyze the effects of a mindfulness program on mental health in university students. A systematic review was conducted using the databases Pubmed, Scopus, Web of Science and CINAHL. The selected studies had to incorporate a mindfulness intervention in university students. The methodological quality of the collected articles was evaluated using the PEDro scale. We initially identified 321 studies, of which 21 were included in this review. The interventions focused on mindfulness with durations ranging from 8 weeks to 3 months. The results demonstrated significant effects of a mindfulness intervention on mental health in university students. This systematic review and meta-analysis found that mindfulness is effective for improving the mental health of college students. identifier: CRD42023441453.