Improving stress management, anxiety, and mental well-being in medical students through an online Mindfulness-Based Intervention: a randomized study.
Teresa Fazia, Francesco Bubbico, Andrea Nova, Chiara Buizza, Herald Cela, Davide Iozzi, Beril Calgan, Federica Maggi, Valentina Floris, Irene Sutti, Salvatore Bruno, Alberto Ghilardi, Luisa Bernardinelli
Scientific Reports May 22, 2023 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-35483-z (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 362 |
| Population | Medical students from Italian universities |
| Intervention | dietary advice |
| Topics | Anxiety Meditation |
| Citations | 62 |
| Key findings | A comprehensive mindfulness-based intervention significantly reduced perceived stress, improved mental well-being, emotional regulation, resilience, and attentional control, and reduced mind-wandering and overall distress among medical students. |
Abstract
Pressures and responsibilities of medical school put a strain on medical student's personal wellbeing, leading among all to high rates of anxiety, emotional discomfort and stress. In this work we evaluated the effectiveness of a comprehensive Mindfulness-Based Intervention (MBI) in reducing this load. The intervention comprised 10 twice-a-week Integral Meditation classes, dietary advice, and brief yoga sessions. We performed a randomized trial on two cohort of medical students from Italian universities: 239 in cohort 1 (106 treated and 133 controls), and 123 in cohort 2 (68 treated and 55 control) for a total sample of 362 students. Nine questionnaires for evaluating the effectiveness of our intervention on stress (PSS), state anxiety (STAIX-1), well-being (WEMWBS), mind-wandering (MW-S), overall distress (PANAS), emotion regulation (DERS), resilience (RS-14), and attentional control (ACS-C and ACS-D) were collected both pre and post intervention. Linear mixed effect models were run on the whole sample showing that, after multiple testing correction, our intervention was effective in reducing perceived stress (β = - 2.57 [- 4.02; - 1.12], p = 0.004), improving mental well-being (β = 2.82 [1.02; 4.63], p = 0.008) and emotional regulation (β = - 8.24 [- 12.98; - 3.51], p = 0.004), resilience (β = 3.79 [1.32; 6.26], p = 0.008), reducing the tendency to wander with the mind (β = - 0.70 [- 0.99; - 0.39], p = 0.0001), ameliorating the ability to maintain attention (AC-S (β = - 0.23 [- 0.44; - 0.02], p = 0.04) and AC-D (β = - 0.19 [- 0.36; - 0.01], p = 0.04)), and the overall distress (β = 1.84 [0.45; 3.23], p = 0.02).
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on anxiety, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 14
- The impact of a mindful compassion program for medical trainees. BMC Medical Education July 1, 2025
- Daily breath-based mindfulness exercises in a randomized controlled trial improve primary school children's performance in arithmetic. Scientific Reports December 13, 2023
- Healthy Pills: A Physical Activity and Meditation Program to Enhance Mental Health and Well-Being in Spanish University Students. Behavioral Sciences April 18, 2025
- Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Psychological Stress in Medical Students: A Systematic Review Healthcare July 2, 2026
- Prevalence of Stress, Anxiety, and Depression and the Effectiveness of a Mindfulness-Based Life Coaching Intervention among 4th-Year Medical Students: A Pilot Quasi- Experimental Study Journal of Rawalpindi Medical College June 30, 2026
and 9 more in the library
Cites 13
- The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2003
- Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Assessment January 27, 2006
- Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being JAMA Internal Medicine January 6, 2014
- Mindfulness interventions in medical education: A systematic review of their impact on medical student stress, depression, fatigue and burnout Medical Teacher November 7, 2017
- Beneficial Effects of an Online Mindfulness-Based Intervention on Sleep Quality in Italian Poor Sleepers during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Randomized Trial. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health February 3, 2023
and 8 more in the library