Effectiveness of mindfulness based mental fitness training: an impact evaluation study
Alhad Pawar, Jayant Panda, Saurabh Bobdey
International Journal of Research in Medical Sciences 2016 DOI: 10.18203/2320-6012.ijrms20162307 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 69 |
| Population | Students aged 18-20 years at an industrial establishment |
| Intervention | Mindfulness-Based Mental Fitness Training (MBMFT) |
| Duration | 8-week intervention |
| Topics | Anxiety Meditation |
| Keywords | Psychological resilience Population Mental health Depression economics Clinical psychology Physical therapy Psychotherapist |
| Citations | 5 |
| Key findings | Mindfulness-based mental fitness training significantly increased mindfulness scores and reduced perceived stress after 8 weeks compared to a control group, and also improved personal resilience in the training group. |
Abstract
Background: Mindfulness-based mental fitness training (MBMFT) based on Vipassana is a secular, non-religious method found to be useful in reducing stress, anxiety and depression in a variety of population. Studies have revealed that an increasing percentage of population experiences high stress. The present study was conducted to evaluate impact of a mindfulness-based mental fitness training (MBMFT) programme on levels of stress and resilience among students of school in an industrial establishment.
Methods: Sixty nine students aged 18-20 years of an industrial establishment who volunteered and met the inclusion criteria were included in the study. The participants were randomly divided into two groups, group I (n=35) were given 8 weeks of Mindfulness-Based Mental Fitness Training, and group II (n=34) followed the normal curricula of the school. Questionnaires were completed on psychological well-being and mindfulness by the participants initially and after 08 weeks.Results: The students who underwent MBMFT (group-I) had significantly (p<0.05) higher FFMQ scores at 08 weeks (130.10±9.69) as compared to baseline scores (122.55±12.7) and scores of the group II (117.95±10.1). Group I students also had lower perceived stress scores at the end of 08 weeks of MBMFT. Personal resilience was assessed only for Group-I using Personal Resilience Questionnaire (PRQ). The PRQ score increased significantly (p= 0.000) from mean baseline score of 157.76±10.14 to 166.31±13.01 at the end of 8 weeks.Conclusions: Mindfulness based Mental Fitness Training is an effective method which can be used to enhance the ability of personnel to combat stress. Future large scale multi centric research is required to further validate the effectiveness of MBMFT and to assess feasibility of inclusion of MBMFT as regular aspect in training institutions.