Mindfulness to improve the mental health of university students. A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Ana María González-martín, Agustín Aibar-Almazán, Yulieth Rivas-Campo, Yolanda Castellote-Caballero, María Del Carmen Carcelén-fraile
Frontiers in Public Health 2023 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1284632 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Systematic review and meta-analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | University students |
| Intervention | Mindfulness program |
| Duration | 8 weeks to 3 months |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Mental health Meta-analysis Systematic review University students |
| Citations | 64 |
| Key findings | Mindfulness interventions significantly improve mental health in university students. |
Abstract
This systematic review and meta-analysis was to analyze the effects of a mindfulness program on mental health in university students. A systematic review was conducted using the databases Pubmed, Scopus, Web of Science and CINAHL. The selected studies had to incorporate a mindfulness intervention in university students. The methodological quality of the collected articles was evaluated using the PEDro scale. We initially identified 321 studies, of which 21 were included in this review. The interventions focused on mindfulness with durations ranging from 8 weeks to 3 months. The results demonstrated significant effects of a mindfulness intervention on mental health in university students. This systematic review and meta-analysis found that mindfulness is effective for improving the mental health of college students. identifier: CRD42023441453.
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 29
- Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction on Mental Health and Psychological Quality of Life among University Students: A GRADE-Assessed Systematic Review. Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2024
- Effect of a mindfulness program on stress, anxiety, depression, sleep quality, social support, and life satisfaction: a quasi-experimental study in college students. Frontiers in Psychology 2025
- The Mindful Way From Information to Knowledge, to Wisdom, and to Life: Perspectives on Mindfulness (-Based Cognitive Therapy) for Higher Education. Mindfulness 2025
- Effectiveness of mindfulness and Qigong training for self-healing in patients with Hwabyung and depressive disorder: a protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Frontiers in Psychiatry 2024
- The Effects of Mindfulness Practice on Anxiety and Test Anxiety in a College Student Population Utilizing a RCT and WLC. Psychological Reports July 7, 2025
and 24 more in the library
Cites 20
- Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being JAMA Internal Medicine January 6, 2014
- Mindfulness Training Improves Working Memory Capacity and GRE Performance While Reducing Mind Wandering Psychological Science March 28, 2013
- Cultivating mindfulness: effects on well‐being Journal of Clinical Psychology May 16, 2008
- Mindfulness-based interventions: an overall review British Medical Bulletin April 21, 2021
- A mindfulness-based intervention to increase resilience to stress in university students (the Mindful Student Study): a pragmatic randomised controlled trial The Lancet Public Health December 18, 2017
and 15 more in the library