A Kindness-Based Meditation Study for Promoting Interpersonal Functioning in First-Year College Students
First-year Students Face Interpersonal Challenges While Transitioning To College That Can Negatively Impact Academic And Psychosocial Functioning. There Is Currently A Need For Brief, Efficacious Programming To Address Such Problems. Accordingly, We Designed A One-Session Skills-Based Meditation Workshop For This Population., 62 Eligible Incoming College Students Were Randomized To The 90-Minute Workshop Or A Waitlist Control Group. Participants Completed Self-Report Measures Of Loneliness, Social Support, Compassion For Others, And Roommate Responsiveness Before Randomization And At The End Of The Semester., Workshop Participants Reported A Significant Within-Group Reduction In Loneliness Over The Semester, Along With Significantly Greater Semesters-End Roommate Responsiveness And Compassion For A Stranger In Distress Than Waitlisted Students., Findings Suggest That Participation In An Early Semester, Single-Session Meditation Workshop May Beneficially Influence Social And Emotional Outcomes For Incoming College Students. With More Research Support, This Workshop Could Be Integrated Into First- Year Student Programming.
Journal of Psychiatry and Cognitive Behaviour May 24, 2025 DOI: 10.29011/2574-7762.000097 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 62 |
| Population | Incoming first-year college students |
| Intervention | Meditation workshop |
| Duration | 90-minute workshop; outcomes assessed at the end of the semester |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Workshop participants showed a significant within-group reduction in loneliness across the semester and significantly greater semester-end roommate responsiveness and compassion for a stranger in distress than waitlisted students. The authors suggest a single early-semester meditation workshop may benefit social and emotional outcomes for incoming college students. |
Abstract
Objectives: First-year students face interpersonal challenges while transitioning to college that can negatively impact academic and psychosocial functioning.There is currently a need for brief, efficacious programming to address such problems.Accordingly, we designed a one-session skills-based meditation workshop for this population.Methods: 62 eligible incoming college students were randomized to the 90-minute workshop or a waitlist control group.Participants completed self-report measures of loneliness, social support, compassion for others, and roommate responsiveness before randomization and at the end of the semester.Results: Workshop participants reported a significant within-group reduction in loneliness over the semester, along with significantly greater semesters-end roommate responsiveness and compassion for a stranger in distress than waitlisted students.Conclusion: Findings suggest that participation in an early semester, single-session meditation workshop may beneficially influence social and emotional outcomes for incoming college students.With more research support, this workshop could be integrated into firstyear student programming.