Reducing Stress to Increase Student Wellbeing: Validating a Brief Mindfulness Intervention
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2021-07-16
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en
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Abstract
Students face many adjustment challenges and their mental health is plummeting during the Corona
pandemic. This research aimed to identify suitable points of intervention and subsequently develop
and validate such an intervention. Study 1 revealed that stress impacts students’ ability to
psychologically adjust to their circumstances, suggesting stress as an advantageous point for
intervention. Study 2 aimed to validate a low-threshold boosting intervention combining mindfulness
and psychoeducation to combat student stress. Forty-one students of Radboud University (54%
female, Mage = 23) took part in a mixed 2 (condition: intervention vs. control) by 2 (time: pre vs. post)
online study featuring an interactive stress training and three mindfulness exercises as the
intervention. The hypothesis that stress would be reduced over time in the intervention condition
was not supported. However, psychological adjustment increased significantly due to the
intervention. These findings suggest that this low-threshold intervention combining mindfulness with
psychoeducation does not reduce stress, but can still benefit students in terms of psychological
adjustment. Implications on the working mechanisms of mindfulness and directions for future
research are discussed.
Key words: psychological adjustment, mindfulness, psychoeducation, mindfulness-based
stress reduction, university students
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Faculteit der Sociale Wetenschappen