Reduced stress among COVID-symptomatic undergraduates: act with awareness, nonjudgment, and nonreactivity as key facets of mindfulness
Zoe Sirotiak, J. Adamowicz, E. B. Thomas
Adolescent Psychiatry May 13, 2024 DOI: 10.2174/0122106766288982240509041026 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional survey study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 516 |
| Population | University students experiencing at least one CDC-identified COVID-19 symptom during the 2020–2021 pandemic |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | The mindfulness facets of acting with awareness, nonjudgment, and nonreactivity were associated with general stress, and the model accounted for over half of the variance in general stress (R2 = 0.51). The authors suggest mindfulness may be particularly important for understanding stress among college students reporting a COVID-19 symptom. |
Abstract
Objective: Associations between mindfulness and improved physical and psychological health have been established, but COVID-19 presents a novel context. This study examined the relation between individual mindfulness facets and general stress among college students experiencing at least one symptom of acute COVID-19 infection in the context of the pandemic.
Methods: Five hundred sixteen university students experiencing at least one CDC-identified COVID-19 symptom completed measures of general stress, mindfulness, and somatic symptoms in 2020–2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic following IRB approval and informed consent.
Results: The act with awareness, nonjudgment, and nonreactivity facets of mindfulness were associated with general stress. In total, the model accounted for over half of the variance in general stress (R2 = 0.51, p < 0.001).
Conclusion: Mindfulness may be particularly important in explaining general stress among college students reporting a symptom of COVID-19. Mindfulness may benefit college students as the pandemic continues to unfold and monitoring of one’s physical health remains a primary mitigation strategy. These results may also inform understanding and responses to future public health emergencies in which monitoring somatic symptoms is encouraged by public health officials to contain spread.