Feasibility and effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) for improving resilience, posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and posttraumatic growth among military medical college students.
Xiaofan Yan, Xiaojie Wang, Yanli Chen, Xiaoxiao Xu, Li Peng, Yuanyuan Xu
Acta Psychologica November 1, 2024 DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2024.104556 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Quasi-experimental with control group Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 372 |
| Population | Medical students at a military college |
| Intervention | Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) |
| Duration | 8-week intervention, 1-month follow-up |
| Topics | Meditation PTSD |
| Keywords | Military medical students Posttraumatic growth Resilience |
| Citations | 11 |
| Key findings | MBSR led to significant improvements in resilience, posttraumatic growth, life satisfaction, and mindful attention, and reductions in depression, anxiety, and PTSD intrusive symptoms among military medical students. |
Abstract
Increased stress among medical students in military college has been a challenge in the field of education. One approach to addressing stress reduction is mindfulness training. MBSR has been verified to improve the health status of different individuals. The aim of this study was to examine whether MBSR improves the psychological resilience, posttraumatic stress and posttraumatic growth of medical students in military college. MBSR was performed with students from a military medical university. A total of 372 students were surveyed by questionnaires, including the 10-item of Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, Posttraumatic Growth Inventory, PTSD Checklist for DSM-5, Satisfaction with Life Scale, and Mindful Attention Awareness Scale, before the intervention, after the intervention and one month later. A control group of students also answered the questionnaires at the three time points but did not participate in the MBSR intervention. Statistical analyses were performed using repeated-measures ANOVA. The results suggest that the MBSR group experienced significant improvements in resilience, posttraumatic growth, life satisfaction, and mindful attention awareness scores, as well as significant reductions in depression, anxiety, and PTSD intrusive symptoms scores after the intervention. These results were not found in the control group. One month after the intervention, all of these variables showed varying degrees of maintenance effects in the MBSR group. The MBSR intervention was effective, as the medical students in military college in the MBSR group exhibited improvements in psychological resilience, posttraumatic growth, satisfaction with life and mindful attention awareness, depression, anxiety and intrusive symptoms.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on PTSD, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| A PILOT STUDY OF GROUP MINDFULNESS-BASED COGNITIVE THERAPY (MBCT) FOR COMBAT VETERANS WITH POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD) Veterans with chronic combat posttraumatic stress disorder seeking treatment at a VA... | 2013 | Quasi-experimental with treatment-as-usual comparison group | n = 37 |
| Resting‐state functional connectivity of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis in post‐traumatic stress disorder and its dissociative subtype Adults with PTSD (n = 70), its dissociative subtype (n = 41), and healthy controls (n =... | 2017 | Cross-sectional resting-state fMRI study | n = 161 |
| Sensory overload and imbalance: Resting-state vestibular connectivity in PTSD and its dissociative subtype. Adults with PTSD, PTSD dissociative subtype, and healthy controls | 2017 | Cross-sectional, seed-based resting-state fMRI study | n = 141 |
| Altered Sense of Body Ownership and Agency in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Its Dissociative Subtype: A Rubber Hand Illusion Study Adults with PTSD (n=4), PTSD with dissociative subtype (n=6), and healthy controls (n=7) | 2018 | Case-control experimental study | n = 17 |
| Superior colliculus resting state networks in post‐traumatic stress disorder and its dissociative subtype Adults with PTSD (n = 67), its dissociative subtype (n = 41), and healthy controls (n =... | 2017 | Observational cross-sectional resting-state fMRI study | n = 158 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 6
- Mindfulness Training in Military Settings: Emerging Evidence and Best-Practice Guidance. Current Psychiatry Reports June 1, 2025
- Prospective Acceptability and Implementation Considerations of a Proposed Brief Online Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy Intervention Among Military Personnel Behavioral Sciences October 5, 2026
- Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Psychological Stress in Medical Students: A Systematic Review Healthcare July 2, 2026
- Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Enhances Quality of Life and Positive Psychological Traits Among Head and Neck Cancer Patients: Findings from a Randomized Controlled Trial Mindfulness 2026
- Effects of mindfulness-based intervention on teachers' work stress: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Work June 3, 2026
and 1 more in the library
Cites 14
- The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2003
- The efficacy of mindfulness apps on symptoms of depression and anxiety: An updated meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Clinical Psychology Review February 1, 2024
- Feasibility and acceptability of a virtual mindfulness intervention for Black adults with PTSD and depression: Randomized controlled trial. Journal of Mood and Anxiety Disorders March 1, 2024
- Leveraging Mindfulness to Reduce Stress and Improve Quality of Life Among Pharmacy Students American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education May 9, 2023
- Distress tolerance as a mechanism of mindfulness for depression and anxiety: Cross-sectional and diary evidence International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology July 5, 2023
and 9 more in the library