Mindfulness at Universities: An Increasingly Present Reality

Abstract

Learning to adapt and adjust to the constant changes and hurdles presented by university life poses a great challenge for students.University students are often critically exposed to a significant increase in academic workloads, enhanced by the great strain exerted on them by examinations, qualifications and grades.Not only can all of this have a negative impact on the students' academic performance, but also on their mental health and well-being; furthermore, research shows how during critical stress periods university students tend to include risk-taking behaviours as part of their lifestyle.For these reasons, different mindfulness programmes are being developed in order to enhance students' adaptability to the academic context and thus reduce the high prevalence of mental health problems.Some of these programmes are standardised protocols offered as extra-curricular activities; however, some universities are designing and implementing their own programmes, using available scientific knowledge and adapting it to the academic context.Mindfulness programmes may be a suitable resource for the promotion of a healthy learning environment, by boosting students' academic achievement together with their emotional and social development.Nevertheless, most of the programmes implemented to date within the university context are still to be validated and integrated into everyday academic life.The protocol created at the University of Zaragoza is currently at this validation stage and aims to contribute to the advancement of scientific knowledge in the field.