The effects of mindfulness based stress reduction on students at a senior military college.
Scott T Frein, Tinni Sen, Howard Sanborn
Military psychology : the official journal of the Division of Military Psychology, American Psychological Association June 2, 2025 DOI: 10.1080/08995605.2025.2513132 via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractMindfulness training lowered stress and improved sleep quality among students at a U.S. senior military college. In a 4-week pilot (31 participants) and an 8-week study (66 participants, 18 women), students randomly assigned to mindfulness training showed significant decreases in stress and increases in mindfulness facets (observing, describing, nonreactivity) and sleep quality, while a nutrition training control group showed no significant changes. The findings suggest mindfulness training can benefit well-being in environments combining academic and military demands.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Pilot study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 66 |
| Population | Students at a senior military college in the United States |
| Interventions | Mindfulness training Nutrition training |
| Duration | 8-week study |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Students Mindfulness training Stress reduction Reduce stress Decreases in stress |
| Citations | 1 |
| Key finding | Mindfulness training significantly reduced stress, improved sleep quality, and increased mindfulness facets (observing, describing, nonreactivity) compared to a nutrition training control group. |
Abstract
This paper examines the effects of mindfulness training on students attending a senior military college in the United States. In a 4-week pilot study (n = 31) and a subsequent in-depth 8-week study (n = 66, 18 women), participants were randomly assigned to a mindfulness training group (MG) or a nutrition training control group (CG). Each group completed a 60 min weekly training workshop, 20 min of daily homework for the remaining 6 days, brief journal entries about the homework, and seven assessments at the start and the conclusion of the study. The duration, frequency, and intensity of training of the intervention and control group were identical. Results indicate a significant decrease in stress in the MG and no change in the CG. The MG also reported a significant increase in their overall score on the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire as well as the Observing, Describing, and Nonreactivity sub scores. CG changes did not reach significance on any of these variables. The sleep quality score on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) indicated improved sleep quality for the MG but not the CG. The PSQI sleep efficiency score indicated lower sleep efficiency for the CG but not the MG. Findings demonstrate the effectiveness of mindfulness training for lowering stress levels, improving sleep quality, and increasing the frequency of behaviors associated with positive mental health such as nonreactivity in a student body that experiences the stresses from both the academic and military rigor that characterizes senior military colleges.