Online mindfulness practices over five weeks reduced test anxiety and overall anxiety in college students. In a randomized trial, 79 students were assigned to either sitting meditation or a waitlist control group. Both groups showed significant within-group reductions in test anxiety, overall anxiety, and DASS scores from the start to the end of their mindfulness intervention, along with increases in FFMQ scores. Mindfulness may play a role in reducing anxiety and test anxiety. Offering free online mindfulness programs could provide supplemental support for college counseling centers facing staffing challenges.
College students who practiced online sitting meditation for five weeks showed reduced test anxiety and overall anxiety, as did a wait-list control group that later completed the same mindfulness practices. Both groups also reported increased mindfulness skills. The findings suggest that mindfulness may help lower anxiety and test anxiety in college students, but more research is needed to clarify the effects.
Over five weeks, college students who practiced sitting meditation on their own showed significant reductions in test anxiety and overall anxiety, alongside increased mindfulness. Students assigned to music meditation showed no change in test anxiety, though their overall anxiety decreased and mindfulness increased. The findings suggest mindfulness practices, particularly sitting meditation, may help reduce anxiety and test anxiety in college students.