The Effects of Mindfulness and Buddhist Meditation Coaching on Mental Health Outcomes in College Students.
Yuri Kim, Jaewon Khil, NaNa Keum
Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2022 DOI: 10.1155/2022/8178930 (opens in new tab)
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Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational pre-post study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 256 |
| Population | College students enrolled in a meditation course |
| Interventions | Mindfulness meditation Ganhwa Seon |
| Duration | 15-week program, with questionnaires at the first and last class |
| Topics | Buddhism Meditation |
| Key findings | After a 15-week meditation course, adult ADHD scores and ego identity improved significantly (p < 0.01 and p = 0.02, respectively), while the other four mental health indicators did not change significantly. The authors suggest meditation practice may have positive effects on adult ADHD and ego identity among college students. |
Abstract
College students are vulnerable to diverse mental health disorders. We aimed to investigate whether a meditation class would be an effective means to address students' mental health challenges. Among the college students who registered for the meditation course, 256 participants were enrolled. The meditation course was a 15-week program incorporating mindfulness meditation and Ganhwa Seon (a traditional Buddhist meditation). A questionnaire was administered twice, on the first and last class of the course, collecting information on personal characteristics and six mental health indicators. A paired t-test was used to examine whether the meditation course conferred benefit on the mental health indicators, and logistic regression analyses were run to identify factors associated with mental health outcomes. After completing the meditation course, there were significant improvements for the adult ADHD score (p < 0.01) and ego identity (p = 0.02) but not for the other outcomes. Among college students, meditation practice may have positive effects on the adult ADHD score and ego identity.
Comparable studies
Other non-randomized and open-label trials on buddhism, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oxytocin Release during the Meditation of Altruism and Appreciation (Arigato-Zen) 32 participants providing saliva samples before and after Arigato-Zen practice | 2018 | Pre-post intervention study | n = 32 |
| Zen Den: A Novel Approach to Promote Well-Being in the Workplace. Nurses at an academic level 1 trauma center in Hawaii | 2024 | Pre-post intervention study | n = 92 |
| Buddhist Meditation and Positive Psychology: Cultivating Happiness, Gratitude, and Life Satisfaction Adult participants from Vietnam aged 18-45 | 2026 | Quasi-experimental (nonrandomized) with wait-list control | n = 85 |
| State mindfulness, hope, and ikigai before and after crafting an amulet in a field study at a Zen temple in Kyoto Visitors to a Zen temple in Kyoto who participated in the Yuwai-mamori amulet-making... | 2026 | Qualitative and single-group pre-post field study | n = 426 |
| Buddhist-like opposite diminishing and non-judging during ketamine infusion are associated with antidepressant response: an open-label personalized-dosing study. Patients suffering from depression | 2022 | Open-label outpatient study | n = 11 |
Citations in the library
Cites 13
- How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective Perspectives on Psychological Science October 14, 2011
- Mindfulness Meditation and Psychopathology Annual Review of Clinical Psychology December 11, 2018
- The Effects of School-Based Maum Meditation Program on the Self-Esteem and School Adjustment in Primary School Students Global Journal of Health Science March 10, 2013
- Effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction program on quality of life in cardiovascular disease patients. International journal of cardiology. Heart & vasculature April 12, 2019
- Meditation-induced neuroplastic changes of the prefrontal network are associated with reduced valence perception in older people. Brain and Neuroscience Advances 2018
and 8 more in the library