Anxiety and College Students: The Benefits of Mindfulness-Based Meditation
Amelia D. Saul, Matthew T. Fish
Recreation Parks and Tourism in Public Health 2022 DOI: 10.2979/rptph.3.1.09 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 72 |
| Population | College students |
| Dose | ten, 10-minute sessions |
| Duration | 14-day period |
| Measures | S-Anxiety, T-Anxiety |
| Topics | Anxiety Meditation |
| Key findings | The study did not support its hypotheses: after ten 10-minute Headspace sessions over 14 days, the control group showed a statistically significant decrease in S-Anxiety but not T-Anxiety, while the experimental group's results were not reported as significant. The authors suggest this underscores the importance of examining prescribed intervention durations for achieving meaningful change. |
Abstract
Abstract:Approximately 62% of college students report experiencing anxiety during the past 12 months (American College Health Association [ACHA], 2016). Of those students, approximately 27% stated that their anxiety had taken a negative toll on their academic performance (ACHA, 2016). This study aimed to test the efficacy of prescribed mindfulness meditation in reducing symptoms of anxiety in a college population when compared to a control group. This study employed a classic experimental design using Headspace as a prescribed activity in comparison to a control group. The study consisted of 72 college students randomly assigned to either the experimental group (n = 33) or control group (n = 39). Over the 14-day period, the experimental group participants completed ten, 10-minute sessions of Headspace while the control group participants continued with business as usual. Results indicate that the anxiety scores for the control group had a statistically significant decrease in S-Anxiety, but not T-Anxiety after completing ten, 10-minute sessions of Headspace. Although this study did not accept the hypotheses, the results help to understand the importance of examining prescribed amounts of time for participation in interventions to achieve meaningful changes that increase the functional capacity of clients.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on anxiety, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cites 12
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and 7 more in the library