Impact of Gratitude and Mindfulness Training on the Perceived Stress Levels and Self-Esteem among Secondary School Students: An Experimental Study
Areeja Shahid, Sidra Shoaib
Journal of Contemporary Trends and Issues in Education July 31, 2023 DOI: 10.55628/jctie.v3i1.87 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Pre-post intervention study (convenience sample) Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 20 |
| Population | Secondary school students aged 14 to 18 |
| Interventions | Mindfulness training Gratitude training |
| Duration | 3 weeks, 6 sessions |
| Measures | Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Perceived Stress Scale (PSS 10) |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key points | The authors report that a three-week mindfulness and gratitude training program significantly reduced stress and increased self-esteem among 20 secondary school students, based on pre- and post-training scores on the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and Perceived Stress Scale. They caution that the small sample size restricts generalization. |
Abstract
Among secondary school students, examinations are one of the major stress-inducing factors as academic achievement has become a parameter for evaluating oneself as either successful or unsuccessful which further plays a crucial role in the development of one’s self-esteem. Gratitude and mindfulness activities greatly benefit the person as they make a conscious choice to be aware of their present surroundings and thankful for all that they have. This automatically reduces stress and boosts one’s self-esteem. Hence, the present study aims to investigate the effects of mindfulness and gratitude training by hypothesizing a reduction in stress and an increase in the self-esteem of the students. 20 participants aged 14 to 18, volunteered to participate in the study through convenience sampling. The students consented to willingly participate in the training which was 3 weeks and 6 sessions long. Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS 10) were administered twice, once prior to the intervention to attain a baseline score and then after the training to study the impact of the gratitude and mindfulness training. Statistical regression analysis was performed upon which it was found that practicing mindfulness and gratitude reduces stress and enhances self-esteem significantly. The small sample size restricts generalizing the results. Thus, future researchers should consider replicating the study with a larger sample.
Comparable studies
Other non-randomized and open-label trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in Relation to Quality of Life, Mood, Symptoms of Stress, and Immune Parameters in Breast and Prostate Cancer Outpatients Early-stage breast and prostate cancer patients | 2003 | Pre-post intervention study | n = 59 |
| Exploring self‐compassion and empathy in the context of mindfulness‐based stress reduction (MBSR) Community sample | 2010 | Pre-post intervention study | |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Lowers Psychological Distress In Medical Students Second-year medical students | 2003 | Prospective nonrandomized cohort-controlled study | n = 302 |
| Intensive meditation training, immune cell telomerase activity, and psychological mediators. Retreat participants and matched controls | 2011 | Controlled trial with wait-list control group | n = 60 |
| The Effectiveness of Mindfulness Training for Children with ADHD and Mindful Parenting for their Parents Children aged 8-12 with ADHD and their parents | 2011 | Within-group waitlist controlled trial | n = 22 |