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.
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.