A randomized controlled trial of mindfulness: effects on university students' mental health.
Giovana Gonçalves Gallo, Daniela Fernandez Curado, Mayra Pires Alves Machado, Marília Ignácio Espíndola, Vitor Villar Scattone, Ana Regina Noto
International journal of mental health systems October 13, 2023 DOI: 10.1186/s13033-023-00604-8
Summary
Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) significantly reduce symptoms of stress, depression, and insomnia among university students. In a study involving 136 participants, those engaging in an 8-week MBI reported improved mental health compared to a wait-list group. Specifically, stress symptoms decreased by 5.76 points, depression by 1.55 points, and insomnia by 1.35 points. However, no significant changes were observed in anxiety levels. These findings highlight the potential of MBIs in supporting student mental health and preventing future disorders.
Abstract
The development of mental health disorders is common in the university population, and mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) seem to be effective in addressing them in different contexts. Thus, this study investigated the impact of an 8-week MBI adapted to university students from the Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention (MBSR) on different symptoms related to mental health problems, specifically symptoms of anxiety, depression, stress and insomnia. University students (n = 136) were randomized into MBI group (n = 71) or wait-list group (n = 65). All participants completed self-administered questionnaires before and after the intervention, and the experimental group answered questionnaires weekly during intervention. Generalized mixed models were used to assess the effects of the intervention. There were improvements in the symptoms of stress (B = 5.76, p < 0.001), depression (B = 1.55, p < 0.01) and insomnia (B = 1.35, p = 0.020) from the beginning of the intervention to the final assessment when it was compared to the control group. No effect was found in respect of trait anxiety. The MBI was found to be effective in reducing important symptoms related to university students' mental health, possibly grounding further research on the intervention's potential of preventing the development of mental disorders. The research was registered in the Brazilian Registry of Clinical Trials (ReBEC) - number RBR-63qsqx, approved at 09/16/2019.