Journal of American College Health
March 1, 2008
Doug Oman, Shauna L. Shapiro, Carl E. Thoresen et al.
368 citations
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.
Journal of American College Health
June 24, 2013
Dessa Bergen-Cico, Kyle Possemato, Sanghyeon Cheon
172 citations
A five-week mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program integrated into an academic course improved psychological health among 119 undergraduate students. Participants in the MBSR group showed significant increases in mindfulness and self-compassion compared to a control group. However, no significant reduction in trait anxiety was observed, suggesting that longer programs may be needed to address psychological distress.
Journal of American College Health
May 1, 1994
Michael J. Cuomo, Paul G. Dyment, Victoria M. Gammino
82 citations
Between 1986 and 1990, cocaine use among undergraduates at a private southern university dropped from 39% to 21%, and traditional amphetamine use fell from 22% to 12%. Marijuana use remained stable (68% to 64%), as did LSD use (14% to 17%). Mescaline or psilocybin use rose sharply from 8% to 24%, and MDMA (Ecstasy) use increased from 16% to 24%. Students in 1990 were more likely to have first tried mescaline/psilocybin and Ecstasy during their college years compared to other drugs.
Journal of American College Health
January 5, 2021
Alissa Dark-Freudeman, Colby Jones, Christian Terry
17 citations
A 4-week mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) reduced perceived stress more than both an active control and a traditional control condition among undergraduate students at a southeastern university. The MBI also increased trait mindfulness and reduced anxiety compared to the traditional control condition. No significant differences were observed for rumination. The findings suggest that MBIs may be a useful approach for alleviating stress in a highly stressed population.
Journal of American College Health
March 9, 2026
Zhuoya Zhang, Sai S Chilakapati, Pháp Lưu et al.
Undergraduate students in a biology course that integrated mindfulness reported improved well-being, including increased positive emotions, compassion, social connectedness, and ability to use mindfulness to manage everyday stressors. Learning about the body as a dynamic, interdependent system fostered appreciation of interbeing and enhanced connection to themselves, others, and the environment. Increased understanding of physiological systems also led to greater appreciation for their bodies and motivation to adopt health-promoting practices, including consistent mindfulness practice. The findings suggest that integrating mindfulness into human physiology teaching may be an innovative approach to enhance college student well-being.
Journal of American College Health
August 1, 2020
Matthew S Burgstahler, M. Stenson
Five to twelve minutes of daily guided mindfulness meditation over eight weeks reduced stress and anxiety and increased mindfulness in pre-healthcare college students aged 19–22. Students who meditated more showed greater improvements: those in the highest quartile (350–424 total minutes) decreased stress, state anxiety, and trait anxiety, while those in lower quartiles showed more limited gains. Heart rate variability also improved. The findings suggest that even brief daily meditation can benefit mental health, with larger doses yielding larger effects.
Journal of American College Health
May 5, 2020
Claire G. Crowley, L. Kapitula, Dana Munk
College students who took a semester-long experiential meditation course reported greater increases in mindfulness and subjective happiness, and greater decreases in anxiety, compared to students in a non-meditation psychosocial class. The meditation group comprised 74 students and the comparison group 73 students. Mindfulness was measured with the Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale, anxiety with the State Trait Anxiety Inventory, and happiness with the Subjective Happiness Scale. The findings suggest that a meditation course can improve well-being among college students.