Pilot study: mindfulness-based intervention reduces burnout syndrome and associated biomarkers in a Mexican university population.
Mireya Velázquez-Paniagua, Laura Gómez-Virgilio, Blanca Margarita Gómez-Chavarín, Maria-Del-Carmen Cárdenas-Aguayo, Raúl Sampieri-Cabrera
Discover Mental Health January 8, 2026 DOI: 10.1007/s44192-025-00364-6 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Exploratory pilot quasi-experimental study with pre- and post-tests Pilot study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 38 |
| Population | Medical students, professors, and administrative staff from the Faculty of Medicine at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) |
| Intervention | Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program |
| Duration | 8-week intervention |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Biochemical biomarker Electroencephalogram Neurophysiological biomarker. University population |
| Key findings | An eight-week MBSR program reduced cortisol levels, emotional exhaustion, and depersonalization, and increased personal accomplishment and P300 amplitude. |
Abstract
Introduction: In Mexico, 25–45% of medical students experience burnout syndrome, which may be reduced through mindfulness-based interventions (MBI). No study has evaluated this intervention’s impact on our country’s population. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the effects of an eight-week MBI on medical students, professors and administrative staff from the Faculty of Medicine at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), Mexico.
Methods: An exploratory pilot quasi-experimental study incorporating pre- and post-tests was implemented with 38 participants. The Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program was conducted over 8 weeks to evaluate its efficacy on the evolution on psychological, biological, and neurophysiological parameters. Data was analyzed using either the paired Student’s t-test or the Wilcoxon test.
Results: This study recruited 38 participants with a mean age of 28 years, 84% of whom were women. 24% of the cohort were first-year students, and over half attended all sessions. The intervention yielded significant effects on reduction in cortisol levels (p < 0.001) and in the dimensions of emotional exhaustion (EE, p < 0.001) and depersonalization (DP, p = 0.008), and an increase in the sense of personal accomplishment (PA, p < 0.001)—as well as on P300 amplitude (p = 0.032).
Discussion: The findings indicated that mindfulness-based intervention suggests a positive effect on burnout syndrome, cortisol levels, and influences neurophysiological metrics such as the P300 amplitude. Future studies should be conducted in more controlled trials with a larger, more homogeneous sample to ensure the replicability of these data and explore their long-term effects.