A randomized controlled trial of mindfulness: effects on university students’ mental health
Giovana Gonçalves Gallo, Daniela Fernandez Curado, Mayra Pires Alves Machado, Marília Ignácio de Espíndola, Vitor Villar Scattone, Ana Regina Noto
Research Square July 6, 2022 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-1782545/v1 (opens in new tab) via OpenAlex
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractA mindfulness-based intervention improved symptoms of stress, depression, and insomnia among university students. In a randomized trial, 136 students were assigned to either an MBI group or a wait-list control. After the intervention, the MBI group showed significant reductions in stress, depression, and insomnia, but no effect was found for trait anxiety. The findings suggest that MBIs can reduce important mental health symptoms in university populations and may help prevent the development of mental disorders.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 136 |
| Population | University students |
| Intervention | Mindfulness-based intervention |
| Topics | Anxiety Meditation |
| Keywords | Mental health Psychological intervention Randomized controlled trial |
| Citations | 4 |
| Key finding | Mindfulness-based intervention improved symptoms of stress, depression, and insomnia but not trait anxiety. |
Abstract
Abstract The development of mental health disorders is common in the university population, and mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) seem to be effective in addressing them in different contexts. Thus, this study investigated the impact of MBIs on different symptoms related to mental health problems. University students (n = 136) were randomized into MBI group or wait-list group. All participants completed self-administered questionnaires before and after the intervention, and the experimental group answered questionnaires every week during intervention. Generalized mixed models were used to assess the effects of the intervention, which were improvements in symptoms of stress (B = 5.76,p < 0.001), depression (B = 1.55,p < 0.01) and insomnia (B = 1.35,p = 0.020). No effect was found in respect of trait anxiety. The MBI was found to be effective in reducing important symptoms related to university students’ mental health, grounding the use of this intervention to improve it, and suggesting that it may be used to prevent the development of mental disorders.