Effects of an eight-week, online mindfulness program on anxiety and depression in university students during COVID-19: A randomized controlled trial
Otto Simonsson, O. Bazin, S. Fisher, Simon B. Goldberg
Psychiatry Research September 23, 2021 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2021.114222 (opens in new tab) via Semantic Scholar
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractAn eight-week online mindfulness program for Oxford University students during the COVID-19 pandemic reduced anxiety symptoms more than a waitlist control condition, but did not significantly reduce depression symptoms. The trial included a one-month follow-up after the intervention ended.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Randomized waitlist controlled trial Longitudinal Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Students at the University of Oxford |
| Duration | 8-week intervention, 1-month follow-up |
| Keywords | Medicine Psychology Education |
| Key finding | The online mindfulness program led to greater reductions in anxiety but not depression symptoms compared to the waitlist control condition. |
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has had adverse mental health effects for many groups in British society, especially young adults and university students. The present study reports secondary outcomes (i.e., symptoms of anxiety and depression) from a randomized waitlist controlled trial, with a one-month post-intervention follow-up, on the effects of a guided, eight-week mindfulness program delivered online during the COVID-19 pandemic among students at the University of Oxford. Longitudinal multilevel models showed greater reductions in anxiety but not depression symptoms for participants in the mindfulness condition relative to participants in the waitlist control condition (time X group B=-0.36, p=.025).