Mindfulness May Help Freshman Stress Less and Smile More

Summary: Researchers report mindfulness and meditation could help students transition smoothly into college life.

Source: Penn States.

Mindfulness training may be one way to help students successfully transition to college life, according to Penn State researchers.

The first semester of college is a time of great transition for many students — they often are living away from home for the first time, have a much more fluid schedule than in high school and are potentially surrounded by a new peer group. For all of these reasons and more, this can be an incredibly stressful time in a student’s life.

To help ease this transition, researchers offered an eight-session mindfulness training program to first-year students at Penn State, according to Kamila Dvorakova, a doctoral Compassion and Caring fellow in the Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center and lead author of the study. In mindfulness meditation, practitioners learn how to develop an accepting, nonjudgmental and kind attitude toward present moment thoughts and feelings, according to the researchers, who presented their findings in a recent issue of the Journal of American College Health.

At the end of the eight sessions, the intervention was associated with significant increases in the students’ life satisfaction, as well as a significant decrease in depression and anxiety, when compared to students who did not participate in the training. There was also an overall drop in alcohol use between the students who took part in the mindfulness program and the control group.

“We offered an experiential, practice-oriented training,” said Dvorakova. “Rather than telling the students what to do, we had them explore and talk about how to be mindful in their daily lives and discover the benefits for themselves. We found that underneath the stress that students are experiencing is a deep desire to appreciate life and feel meaningful connections with other people. It is our responsibility as educators to create academic environments that nurture both students’ minds and hearts.”

Dvorakova and Mark Agrusti, mindfulness and meditation integration specialist, Prevention Research Center, adapted the existing Learning to BREATHE program — originally developed for adolescents by Patricia C. Broderick, research associate, Prevention Research Center — for college students and called it Just BREATHE. The teachings in the eight sessions were themed around the BREATHE acronym: body, reflections, emotions (or awareness), attention, tenderness (or self-compassion), healthy habits and empowerment.

“The beginning of the college career presents such a unique opportunity — all of these students are going through this same transition at the same time,” said Agrusti. “These freshmen are beginning to acquire habits and perceptions that will shape their lives as students and adults, so it’s a perfect time for them to discover practices, such as mindfulness, stress management, self-care and emotional literacy skills.”

Image shows a woman blowing petals.
Just BREATHE is a course of eight sessions themed around the BREATHE acronym: body, reflections, emotions (or awareness), attention, tenderness (or self-compassion), healthy habits and empowerment. NeuroscienceNews.com image is adapted from the Penn State press release.

Fifty-two undergraduate students participated in the intervention, with another 53 serving as a control. The program included self-awareness practices, emotion-regulation skills and simple mindfulness techniques to help students manage stressful situations, the researchers said. The participants were also given cards and stickers for home practice to serve as reminders to use mindfulness techniques when they encounter stressful situations.

The students indicated that the three most effective in-class exercises were three mindful breaths, breath awareness and mindfulness of emotions. A total of 98 percent of the participants would recommend the program to friends and classmates.

According to the researchers, future studies might include adding more participants, scheduling long-term follow-ups and integrating mindfulness with academic lessons.

About this neuroscience research article

Also working on the study were: Moé Kishida, a doctoral candidate in kinesiology; Jacinda Li, a doctoral candidate in human development and family studies; Steriani Elavsky, former assistant professor of kinesiology; Mark T. Greenberg, Edna Bennett Pierce Endowed Chair in Prevention Research and professor of human development and psychology, all of Penn State.

Funding: The National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, Clinical and Translational Science Institute, National Institute on Drug Abuse and the Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center supported this work.

Source: Victoria M. Indivero – Penn States
Image Source: NeuroscienceNews.com image is adapted from the Penn State press release.
Original Research: Abstract for “Promoting healthy transition to college through mindfulness training with first-year college students: Pilot randomized controlled trial” by Kamila Dvořáková MA, Moé Kishida MS, Jacinda Li MS, Steriani Elavsky PhD, Patricia C. Broderick PhD, Mark R. Agrusti BS & Mark T. Greenberg PhD in Journal of American College Health. Published online January 11 2017 doi:10.1080/07448481.2017.1278605

Cite This NeuroscienceNews.com Article

[cbtabs][cbtab title=”MLA”]Penn States “Mindfulness May Help Freshman Stress Less and Smile More.” NeuroscienceNews. NeuroscienceNews, 21 April 2017.
<https://neurosciencenews.com/mindfulness-stress-college-6473/>.[/cbtab][cbtab title=”APA”]Penn States (2017, April 21). Mindfulness May Help Freshman Stress Less and Smile More. NeuroscienceNew. Retrieved April 21, 2017 from https://neurosciencenews.com/mindfulness-stress-college-6473/[/cbtab][cbtab title=”Chicago”]Penn States “Mindfulness May Help Freshman Stress Less and Smile More.” https://neurosciencenews.com/mindfulness-stress-college-6473/ (accessed April 21, 2017).[/cbtab][/cbtabs]


Abstract

Promoting healthy transition to college through mindfulness training with first-year college students: Pilot randomized controlled trial

Objective:
Given the importance of developmental transitions on young adults’ lives and the high rates of mental health issues among U.S. college students, first-year college students can be particularly vulnerable to stress and adversity. This pilot study evaluated the effectiveness and feasibility of mindfulness training aiming to promote first-year college students’ health and wellbeing.

Participants: 109 freshmen were recruited from residential halls (50% Caucasian, 66% female). Data collection was completed in November 2014.

Methods: A randomized control trial was conducted utilizing the Learning to BREATHE (L2B) program, a universal mindfulness program adapted to match the developmental tasks of college transition.

Results:
Participation in the pilot intervention was associated with significant increase in students’ life satisfaction, and significant decrease in depression and anxiety. Marginally significant decrease was found for sleep issues and alcohol consequences.

Conclusions: Mindfulness-based programs may be an effective strategy to enhance a healthy transition into college.

“Promoting healthy transition to college through mindfulness training with first-year college students: Pilot randomized controlled trial” by Kamila Dvořáková MA, Moé Kishida MS, Jacinda Li MS, Steriani Elavsky PhD, Patricia C. Broderick PhD, Mark R. Agrusti BS & Mark T. Greenberg PhD in Journal of American College Health. Published online January 11 2017 doi:10.1080/07448481.2017.1278605

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