The Impact of BWM‐T Versus Brief Mindfulness Induction on Stress, Anxiety and Self‐Efficacy in University Students: Immediate and Short‐Term Outcomes of RCT on Psychological Well‐Being and Autonomic Balance

Background: University students face increasing levels of stress, anxiety, and self-efficacy, which may disrupt autonomic balance. While many mind-body interventions require sustained practice, growing evidence suggests that even a single session can yield immediate benefits. This randomized controlled trial compared the immediate and short-term effects of the brain wave modulation technique (BWM-T) and a brief mindfulness induction on psychological and physiological outcomes in university students.

Methods: 68 students were randomly assigned to either BWM-T or a brief mindfulness induction. State anxiety (STAI-Y1), psychological distress (distress thermometer), generalized self-efficacy scale (GSES), and 5 min heart rate variability (HRV) indices were assessed at baseline (T0), immediately after the session (T1), and 4 h later (T2). Mixed-design ANOVAs with Time (T0, T1, T2) as a within-subject factor and group (BWM-T vs. brief mindfulness induction) as a between-subject factor were conducted, followed by paired-sample t-tests where appropriate.

Results: Across the total sample, significant main effects of Time emerged for state anxiety, distress, and self-efficacy (ps < 0.001), indicating reductions in anxiety and distress and increases in self-efficacy from pre-to post-session that were largely maintained at the 4 h follow-up. No significant time × group interactions were found for psychological outcomes, suggesting comparable trajectories for BWM-T and mindfulness. For HRV indices, a significant time × group interaction was observed only for VLF power. VLF decreased from T0-T1 in the BWM-T group, whereas no systematic changes were detected in the mindfulness group. All other HRV parameters (SDNN, rMSSD, pNN50, LF, HF, LF/HF) remained stable over time, with no differential group effects.

Conclusions: A single 16 min session of either BWM-T or a brief mindfulness induction yielded rapid improvements in self-reported anxiety, distress and GSES in university students, with effects persisting up to 4 h. Physiological effects were limited to a short-lived reduction in VLF power following BWM-T, while other indices of vagally mediated HRV did not change significantly. These findings support the use of brief mind-body practices as feasible tools for acute stress regulation in academic settings, while underscoring the need for larger, adequately powered trials and more comprehensive autonomic assessments.