College students who learned either Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction or the Eight Point Program showed increased mindfulness eight weeks later, compared with a waitlist group. Greater mindfulness partly explained reductions in perceived stress and rumination. Adherence to the practices predicted positive outcomes. The findings suggest that distinct meditation-based interventions can cultivate at least one aspect of mindfulness, as measured by the Mindful Attention and Awareness Scale, and that this increase may contribute to well-being.
A randomized controlled trial with 30 participants tested whether people who already have higher levels of trait mindfulness benefit more from mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR). Compared to a control group, MBSR led to increases in trait mindfulness, subjective well-being, and empathy that lasted up to 12 months. Participants who began with higher mindfulness showed larger gains in those areas plus hope, and larger reductions in perceived stress over the same period.
College undergraduates who completed eight weeks of meditation-based stress-management training showed reduced stress and increased forgiveness compared with a wait-list control group. Two programs—mindfulness-based stress reduction and Easwaran's Eight-Point Program—produced similar benefits; no differences emerged between them or between the end of training and an eight-week follow-up. Improvements in rumination were marginal. The findings suggest that brief, meditation-based programs can serve as health-promotion tools for college populations.