A randomized controlled trial of mindfulness: effects on university students’ mental health

Background The development of mental health disorders is common in the university population, and mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) seem to be effective in addressing them in different contexts. Thus, this study investigated the impact of an 8-week MBI adapted to university students from the Mi...

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Published inInternational journal of mental health systems Vol. 17; no. 1; pp. 1 - 32
Main Authors Gallo, Giovana Gonçalves, Curado, Daniela Fernandez, Machado, Mayra Pires Alves, Espíndola, Marília Ignácio, Scattone, Vitor Villar, Noto, Ana Regina
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published London BioMed Central Ltd 13.10.2023
BioMed Central
BMC
Subjects
Adaptation
Anxiety
Care and treatment
Clinical trials
College students
Depression
Education
Insomnia
Intervention
Likert scale
Mental depression
Mental disorders
Mental health
Mental illness
Mindfulness
Mindfulness meditation
Questionnaires
Sleep disorders
Stress
Testing
University students
Brazil
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Summary:Background The development of mental health disorders is common in the university population, and mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) seem to be effective in addressing them in different contexts. Thus, this study investigated the impact of an 8-week MBI adapted to university students from the Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention (MBSR) on different symptoms related to mental health problems, specifically symptoms of anxiety, depression, stress and insomnia. Methods University students (n = 136) were randomized into MBI group (n = 71) or wait-list group (n = 65). All participants completed self-administered questionnaires before and after the intervention, and the experimental group answered questionnaires weekly during intervention. Generalized mixed models were used to assess the effects of the intervention. Results There were improvements in the symptoms of stress (B = 5.76, p < 0.001), depression (B = 1.55, p < 0.01) and insomnia (B = 1.35, p = 0.020) from the beginning of the intervention to the final assessment when it was compared to the control group. No effect was found in respect of trait anxiety. The MBI was found to be effective in reducing important symptoms related to university students' mental health, possibly grounding further research on the intervention's potential of preventing the development of mental disorders. Trial registration The research was registered in the Brazilian Registry of Clinical Trials (ReBEC) - number RBR-63qsqx, approved at 09/16/2019. Keywords: Anxiety, Depression, Stress, Insomnia, Intervention
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ISSN:1752-4458
1752-4458
DOI:10.1186/s13033-023-00604-8