The effect of online mindfulness training on connectedness to oneself, to others and to nature in students
Petra Jansen, Sabine Hoja, Lea Cassar, Tim‐Michael Neu
University of Regensburg Publication Server January 1, 2026 DOI: 10.5283/epub.78934 (opens in new tab) via OpenAlex
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractOnline mindfulness training over eight weeks improved mindfulness, connectedness to nature, and self-compassion in university students compared to a waitlist control group. Improvements in self-compassion and mindfulness accounted for about 36% and 34% of the reductions in perceived stress and increases in flourishing, respectively. However, the training did not significantly affect stress reduction, flourishing, state mindfulness, or prosociality. The findings suggest that online mindfulness can enhance some internal transformative qualities linked to well-being and sustainable behavior, but further research is needed to understand moderators of these effects.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 173 |
| Population | University students |
| Intervention | online mindfulness training |
| Duration | 8-week training |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Transformative learning Social connectedness Stress linguistics Training meteorology Mindfulness-based stress reduction |
| Key finding | Online mindfulness training significantly improved mindfulness, connectedness to nature, and self-compassion but did not significantly affect stress reduction, flourishing, state mindfulness, or prosociality compared to a control group. |
Abstract
These days, students experience a significant amount of stress at university. According to the planetary health concept, internal transformative qualities, such as connectedness, may be essential for enhancing individual well-being and promoting sustainable behaviour. This randomised controlled study investigated whether online mindfulness training can enhance well-being and connectedness. One hundred seventy-three students completed measurements of stress reduction, flourishing, state mindfulness, self-compassion, prosociality and connectedness to nature before and after the 8-week training or the waiting time. The analyses of variances showed a significant improvement in mindfulness (F[1, 170] = 5.116, p < .05, partial η2 = .029), connectedness to nature (F[1, 171] = 6.838, p < .05, partial η2 = .038) and self-compassion (F[1, 171] = 11.019, p < .01, partial η2 = .061) in the mindfulness group compared to the control group but not in the other dependent measurements. Furthermore, the improvement in self-compassion and mindfulness from the pretest to the posttest predicted 35.7% and 33.9%, respectively, of the reduction in perceived stress and improvement in flourishing. Since the mindfulness training only improved some aspects of transformative qualities, it is necessary to investigate the moderators of the relation between mindfulness, internal transformative qualities and sustainable behaviour and attitudes in greater depth.