Prevalence of Stress, Anxiety, and Depression and the Effectiveness of a Mindfulness-Based Life Coaching Intervention among 4th-Year Medical Students: A Pilot Quasi- Experimental Study
Journal of Rawalpindi Medical College June 30, 2026 Aashi Mughal, Anwar Bibi, Asifa Afzal et al.
Among 100 fourth-year medical students screened, 20% had mild-to-moderate stress, 18% had anxiety, and 17% had depression symptoms. A 21-day mindfulness-based life coaching program (weekly 1-hour sessions, daily 20-minute practice) was tested in 15 students with mild-to-moderate distress. After the program, stress scores decreased by 7.4 points, anxiety by 6.0 points, and depression by 5.2 points, all statistically significant. The program was feasible and culturally acceptable, suggesting it may help reduce distress in medical students.