Mental and Physical Health Impacts of Mindfulness Training for College Undergraduates: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.
Mindfulness September 1, 2023 Blair T Johnson, Rebecca L Acabchuk, Elisabeth A George et al. 45 citations
Mindfulness-based programs improve well-being in college students, with the strongest evidence for reducing anxiety and depressive symptoms. A systematic review and meta-analysis of 58 randomized controlled trials found that mindfulness interventions significantly outperformed both active and inactive controls, with the most marked effects on anxiety, depression, and mindfulness. Greater success appeared for clinical populations. Online programs performed equivalently to in-person programs, and non-mindfulness-based programs were equivalent to mindfulness-based programs after controlling for other factors. Publication bias and other quality issues emerged. More studies using stronger methods are needed to evaluate effects on additional health outcomes and online interventions in clinical populations.