A Comparison of Mindfulness-Based Programs for Stress in University Students

Degree awarded: Ph.D. Psychology. The Catholic University of AmericaMindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) has demonstrated the ability to reduce stress in various populations, including university students, although a commitment to eight sessions and daily 45-minute formal mindfulness meditations may be a hindrance for some students. Other mindfulness-based interventions (e.g., acceptance and commitment therapy) use brief mindfulness exercises and informal practice without formal meditations. The present study compared a six-session workshop for stress management in undergraduate and graduate students that used formal mindfulness meditations and informal practice (Mindful Stress Management; MSM) to one that focused on brief mindfulness exercises and informal practice (Mindful Stress Management-Informal; MSM-I), as well as to a wait-list control. MSM participants exhibited significant within-group changes on all measures, and when compared to the wait-list control, greater levels of mindfulness, decentering, self-compassion, and lower stress. Students in MSM-I had significant within-group changes on a subset of measures (mindfulness, decentering, self-compassion, stress, depression, rumination, and worry), and greater mindfulness and self-compassion compared to the wait-list. MSM participants showed more improvement in self-compassion, psychological inflexibility, and stress than did those in MSM-I. Mediational analyses on mindfulness and mindfulness-related variables found that increases in one facet of mindfulness (nonreactivity to inner experience) and self-compassion, and decreases in worry mediated reductions in stress for MSM participants, while no mediator reached significance for students in MSM-I. Finally, there was no significant relation between the amount of formal meditation practice (for MSM participants) and informal mindfulness practice (for MSM-I participants) and reductions in psychological distress (stress, anxiety, or depression) or increases in mindfulness. Overall, results suggest that a 6-week program with formal mindfulness meditations and informal practice is a more promising intervention for undergraduate and graduate student stress than one that uses brief mindfulness exercises and informal practice.Made available in DSpace on 2013-11-05T15:05:17Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Hindman_cua_0043A_10395display.pdf: 1655667 bytes, checksum: 796c6d4a8507155a013152597232cbf7 (MD5