Mindful Non-reactivity, Anxiety, Depression, and Perceived Stress as Mediators of the Mindfulness Virtual Community Intervention: Pathways to Enhance Mental Health in University Students.
Meysam Pirbaglou, Christo El Morr, Farah Ahmad, Paul Ritvo
JMIR Mental Health May 13, 2025 DOI: 10.2196/65853 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Secondary analysis of two randomized controlled trials Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Student participants |
| Interventions | Mindfulness Virtual Community (MVC) intervention an 8-week multi-component online mindfulness and cognitive-behavioral therapy (M-CBT) intervention |
| Duration | 8-week intervention |
| Topics | Anxiety Depression Meditation |
| Keywords | Student mental health Student well-being Student psychological health Youth mental health Student emotional health Quality of life Online mindfulness programs Digital mindfulness Web-based mindfulness E-mindfulness Online cbt Virtual mindfulness Online intervention Mental health interventions Psychological interventions Therapeutic programs Well-being programs Digital health interventions Mental health support Stress reduction Mood improvement Emotional regulation Psychological distress alleviation Resilience building Mindful non-reactivity |
| Citations | 2 |
| Key findings | Mindful non-reactivity mediated the effects of the online mindfulness and cognitive-behavioral therapy intervention on anxiety, depression, perceived stress, and quality of life in students. |
Abstract
Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) are widely employed in mental health promotion and treatment. Despite widespread evidence of effectiveness with different populations and delivery modes, there are sparse findings concerning the mechanisms of action in MBIs. This study, based on a secondary evaluation of two randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with student participants, was aimed at understanding mediators of the Mindfulness Virtual Community (MVC) intervention, an 8-week, multi-component, online mindfulness and cognitive-behavioral therapy (M-CBT) intervention. Mediation analysis, using structural equation modeling, was used to assess direct and indirect relationships between study group (i.e. intervention versus wait list control) and outcomes. Consistent with the intervention's theoretical perspective and direct effects paths, a model was specified to evaluate whether mindful non-reactivity, as evaluated by the five-factor mindfulness questionnaire, mediated the effect of study group on anxiety and depression (as symptom-driven outcomes), and perceived stress and quality of life (as functional outcomes). The model included additional mediating paths for perceived stress through anxiety and depression, and for quality of life through anxiety, depression, and perceived stress. The model was thereafter extended, adjusting for pre-intervention differences in mindfulness (i.e. observing, describing, activity with awareness, non-judgement, and non-reactivity) facets. Direct (non-mediated) effects indicated statistically significant differences at 8 weeks between the MVC and waitlist control (WLC) groups on depression (-1.65, P=.003), anxiety (-3.29, P<.001), perceived stress (-2.28, P=.001), and quality of life (4.07, P=.003), and the non-reactivity facet of mindfulness (1.55, P=.001) in favor of the MWC intervention. Mediation analysis supported the mediating role of the non-reactivity facet of mindfulness, depression, anxiety and perceived stress through single and sequential mediation paths. Results indicated good fit characteristics for the main (CFI=.988; RMSEA=.052; SRMR=.045) and extended (CFI=.992; RMSEA=.043; SRMR=.036) models. This research underscores the importance of mindful non-reactivity, depression, and anxiety as key mediators of MVC intervention benefits.