Brief mindfulness-based training and mindfulness trait attenuate psychological stress in university students: a randomized controlled trial.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to evaluate the effects of trait mindfulness and a brief mindfulness intervention on psychological distress measures (anxiety, affect, stress) in university students.
Results Summary
High Trait Mindfulness individuals showed lower anxiety and stress levels. The mindfulness training group reduced anxiety state, perceived stress, and increased state mindfulness, while both groups reduced negative affect and cortisol.
Population
Forty university students (18-30 years) with no prior meditation or yoga experience.
Effective Dosage
Not specified
Duration
Not specified
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
- | decrease | anxiety trait, anxiety state and perceived stress levels | High Trait individuals | - | have lower | #1 |
mindfulness training (MT) | decrease | anxiety state | MT group | - | reduced | #2 |
mindfulness training (MT) | decrease | perceived stress | MT group | - | reduced | #3 |
mindfulness training (MT) | increase | state mindfulness | MT group | - | increased | #4 |
- | decrease | negative affect | Both groups | - | reduced | #5 |
- | decrease | cortisol | Both groups | - | reduced | #6 |
- | no change | positive affect | Both groups | - | no change was found | #7 |
mindfulness training (MT) | increase | positive affect | - | - | mediated the increase | #8 |
mindfulness training (MT) | decrease | perceived stress | - | - | mediated the decrease | #9 |
mindfulness training (MT) | decrease | cortisol | - | - | mediated the decrease | #10 |
mindfulness training (MT) | decrease | anxiety state | individuals with High Trait Mindfulness | - | decrease only occurred | #11 |
BACKGROUND: Psychological distress in University settings has grown and became a public health concern. In this context, contemplative practices such as mindfulness have been proposed as a strategy to help students on stress management. METHODS: Forty university students (20 female), aged between 18 to 30 years (mean = 24.15; SD = 3.56), with no previous experience with meditation or yoga were recruited at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte and randomized to a mindfulness training (MT) or active control (AC) groups. We analyzed measures of anxiety, affect, stress, as well as state and trait mindfulness in order to evaluate the effects of trait mindfulness and a brief mindfulness intervention in forty healthy young students. Participants were classified as Low (n = 27, females = 13) or High (n = 13, females = 7) Trait Mindfulness by k-means clustering and compared between them using Wilcoxon sum rank test. Furthermore, the sample was randomly allocated to an AC (n = 20, females = 10) or a MT (n = 20, females = 10) group, and mixed analysis of variance was performed to analyze the effect of interventions. The mechanisms and role of trait mindfulness in the intervention was assessed by a moderated mediation analysis. RESULTS: We found that High Trait individuals have lower anxiety trait, anxiety state and perceived stress levels. Only the MT group reduced their anxiety state and perceived stress after the intervention and increased their state mindfulness. Both groups reduced negative affect and cortisol, and no change was found in positive affect. Moderated mediation analysis showed that the training-induced change in state mindfulness mediated the increase in positive affect and the decrease in perceived stress and cortisol, regardless of trait mindfulness. For anxiety state the decrease only occurred in individuals with High Trait Mindfulness. CONCLUSIONS: Together, these results suggest that higher trait mindfulness is associated with low levels of psychological distress and that a brief mindfulness-based intervention seems to be useful to reduce distress measures in university students. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ReBEC, U1111-1194-8661. Registered 28 March 2017-Retrospectively registered, http://www.ensaiosclinicos.gov.br/rg/RBR-7b8yh8.