Mental and Physical Health Impacts of Mindfulness Training for College Undergraduates: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.
Blair T Johnson, Rebecca L. Acabchuk, Elisabeth A George, William Nardi, Shufang Sun, Elena Salmoirago-Blotcher, Jodi Scharf, Eric B Loucks
Mindfulness September 1, 2023 DOI: 10.1007/s12671-023-02212-6 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Systematic review with meta-analysis Randomized Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 58 |
| Population | College undergraduate students |
| Intervention | mindfulness-based programs |
| Topics | Anxiety Depression Meditation |
| Keywords | College students Meta-analysis Systematic review University students |
| Citations | 45 |
| Key findings | Mindfulness interventions significantly outperformed controls on anxiety and depressive symptoms, with greater effects in clinical populations. |
Abstract
Universities increasingly offer mindfulness-based programs (MBPs) to improve student health and reduce their impact on overburdened psychological services. It is critical for evidence-based policy to determine for what health outcomes mindfulness programs are effective and under what conditions. Objectives were to: (a) perform a comprehensive analysis of the effects of mindfulness interventions on physical, mental, and behavioral health outcomes in college undergraduate students, and (b) examine moderators of intervention effects to identify factors that may help improve existing university mindfulness programs and guide the design of new programs. Systematic searches of five databases identified MBP randomized controlled trials for undergraduate students, measuring any health outcome. Analyses using robust variance estimation focused on standardized mean differences for outcomes between groups and modeled through coded study features. The 58 studies in the review primarily focused on mental health with fewer assessments of physical health or health behaviors. Overall, mindfulness interventions significantly outperformed both active and inactive controls (ps<.05), with the most marked effects on anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms, and mindfulness; greater success appeared for clinical populations. Online programs performed equivalent to in-person, and non-MBP programs were equivalent to MBP programs after controlling for other factors. Publication bias and other quality issues also emerged. Mindfulness programs improve well-being in college students, with the strongest evidence for reducing anxiety and depressive symptoms. More studies utilizing stronger methods are needed to evaluate mindfulness programs' effects on additional health outcomes and online interventions in clinical populations.
Comparable studies
Other systematic reviews and meta-analyses on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being Diverse adult clinical populations | 2014 | Meta-analysis | n = 3,515 |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Stress Management in Healthy People: A Review and Meta-Analysis Healthy subjects | 2009 | Systematic review and meta-analysis | |
| The psychological effects of meditation: A meta-analysis. Nonclinical groups of adult meditators | 2012 | Meta-analysis | n = 163 |
| Efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in Prevention of Depressive Relapse Adults with recurrent depression in full or partial remission | 2016 | Meta-analysis of individual patient data from randomized controlled trials | n = 1,258 |
| Mindfulness‐Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness‐Based Cognitive Therapy – a systematic review of randomized controlled trials | 2011 | Systematic review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 20
- Long-term effects of combined mindfulness intervention and app intervention compared to single interventions during the COVID-19 pandemic: a randomized controlled trial. Frontiers in Psychology 2024
- Acceptability, engagement, and preliminary efficacy of a college human physiology course with integrated mindfulness practice to support student wellbeing Frontiers in Psychology August 14, 2024
- Two weeks to tune in: Evaluating the effects of a short‐term body scan on interoception Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being September 4, 2025
- Mechanics of Mindfulness: Investigating Metacognitive Beliefs as a Pathway of Effect on Anxiety and Depression. European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education June 12, 2025
- Eight-Week Mindfulness Training Effectively Improves Performance in Children with ADHD: A Comparison with Cognitive-Behavioral Training Behavioral Sciences July 6, 2026
and 15 more in the library
Cites 35
- Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice 2004
- How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective Perspectives on Psychological Science October 14, 2011
- Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being JAMA Internal Medicine January 6, 2014
- Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences October 11, 2007
- Mind the Hype: A Critical Evaluation and Prescriptive Agenda for Research on Mindfulness and Meditation Perspectives on Psychological Science October 10, 2017
and 30 more in the library