Mindfulness for test anxiety and negative self-evaluation in high school
Ingrid Dundas, Inghild Nygård
Current Psychology October 1, 2024 DOI: 10.1007/s12144-024-06557-6 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional study plus uncontrolled pre-post follow-up study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 488 |
| Population | High school students; 455 in study 1 (mean age 17.1 years, 43.2% female) and 33 in study 2 (mean age 17.5 years, 88% female) |
| Intervention | Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) |
| Duration | 8-week MBSR course with one-year follow-up |
| Topics | Anxiety Meditation |
| Key findings | Test anxiety was positively related to negative self-thinking in a cross-sectional survey of 455 high school students. Among 33 students who completed an 8-week MBSR course, test anxiety and self-judgment were reduced after the course and remained low one year later, but negative self-thinking was not reduced. The authors propose MBSR may help adolescents observe negative thoughts as "events in the mind" rather than facts, and note results need replication in larger samples with a control group. |
Abstract
AbstractThere is growing evidence that mindfulness-based interventions reduce test anxiety in university-level students, but less is known about high school students. Adolescence is a time of frequent testing, identity concerns, and increases in self-conscious emotions. We hypothesized that test anxiety would be associated with negative self-referential thinking (negative self-thinking, study 1) and that Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) would reduce test anxiety, negative self-thinking, and self-judgment (study 2). 455 high school students (M age = 17.1 years (SD = 1.07), 43.2% female) reported their test anxiety and negative self-thinking in a cross-sectional study (study 1) and 33 high school students (mean age = 17.5 years (SD = 1.60, 88% female) reported measures at the pre-, post, and one-year follow-up during an 8-week MBSR course (study 2). Test anxiety was positively related to negative self-thinking (study 1). Test anxiety and self-judgment were reduced after participating in MBSR and remained low one year after (study 2). Negative self-thinking was not reduced during the intervention. MBSR seems promising in reducing test anxiety and self-judgment in adolescents and might increase awareness of negative self-thinking, perhaps also reducing the impact of such thoughts by encouraging observation of the thoughts as “events in the mind” rather than facts. Mindfulness training seems promising for reducing test anxiety in high school, but results need to be replicated in larger samples with a control group.
Comparable studies
Other non-randomized and open-label trials on anxiety, most cited first.
Citations in the library
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and 11 more in the library