Effects of an eight-week, online mindfulness program on anxiety and depression in university students during COVID-19: A randomized controlled trial
Otto Simonsson, Olivier Bazin, S. Fisher, Simon B. Goldberg
Psychiatry Research September 23, 2021 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2021.114222 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized waitlist controlled trial Longitudinal Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Students at the University of Oxford |
| Duration | 8-week intervention, 1-month follow-up |
| Topics | Anxiety Depression Meditation |
| Keywords | Education |
| Key findings | 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).
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on anxiety, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 23
- The efficacy of mindfulness-based interventions on mental health among university students: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Public Health 2023
- 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
- The efficacy of online mindfulness‐based interventions in a university student sample: Videoconference‐ or podcast‐delivered intervention Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being October 10, 2022
- Mindfulness Intervention for Improving Psychological Wellbeing Among Students During COVID-19 Pandemic: A Scoping Review. Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare 2023
- Training-related improvements in mental well-being through reduction in negative interpretation bias: A randomized trial of online socio-emotional dyadic and mindfulness interventions. Journal of Affective Disorders June 1, 2024
and 18 more in the library
Cites 6
- Home practice in Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction: A systematic review and meta-analysis of participants' mindfulness practice and its association with outcomes Behaviour Research and Therapy May 10, 2017
- A mindfulness-based mobile health (mHealth) intervention among psychologically distressed university students in quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Counseling Psychology July 15, 2021
- Feasibility of a Brief Online Mindfulness and Compassion-Based Intervention to Promote Mental Health Among University Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic Mindfulness May 17, 2021
- Mindfulness, Age and Gender as Protective Factors Against Psychological Distress During COVID-19 Pandemic Frontiers in Psychology September 1, 2020
- Positive Impact of Mindfulness Meditation on Mental Health of Female Teachers during the COVID-19 Outbreak in Italy International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health September 1, 2020
and 1 more in the library