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The aim of this study was to explore the feasibility of implementing a new 8-week mindfulness-based programme, ‘Mindfulness-Based Coping with University Life’ (MBCUL), specifically tailored to the needs and demand of students and to explore its impact in a pilot evaluation. Participants were drawn from the University of Northampton (MBCUL N = 10; control N = 6). A non-randomized wait-list-controlled design was employed. Measures examined anxiety and depression, perceived stress, mindfulness and personally relevant change before and immediately after the programme. The diurnal profile of salivary cortisol and alpha-amylase level was collected for two consecutive days. No significant intergroup differences were observed on any of the measures at either time point. However, significant change was observed for the MBCUL group in terms of perceived stress (d = 1.06; z = −2.25, p = 0.03), anxiety (d = 1.04; z = −2.14, p = 0.03), depression (d = 0.52; z = −0.69, p = 0.5) and personally relevant change (d = 2.63; z = −2.68, p = 0.01), along with an increase in mindfulness (d = 1.06; z = −1.89, p = 0.06). In contrast, no significant change was found in the daily profiles of cortisol and alpha-amylase. The data from this pilot tentatively suggest that MBCUL appears to be a promising programme that warrants further evaluation using a randomized study with a larger sample size. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The benefits of mindfulness for a variety of clinical and nonclinical populations are well established and there is growing interest in the potential of mindfulness in higher education. This article reports on the results from a randomized wait-list controlled study of Mindfulness-Based Coping With University Life (MBCUL), an adaption of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) for university students. MBCUL is an 8-week program, which aims to help students bring mindful awareness to their academic work, stress management, approach to communication and relationships, and health. Participants were recruited from the general student body at the University of Northampton (United Kingdom) and were randomized into mindfulness or control groups. The mean age for students in the combined MBCUL group was M = 25.07, SD = 8.25 (18-50), and M = 28, SD = 7.26 (20-41) in the control group. A significant decrease in anxiety, F(1, 21) = 7.82, p = .01; depression, F(1, 22) = 4.15, p = .05; and perceived stress, F(1, 22) = 9.65, p = .01, was found in the MBCUL group compared with controls. Similarly, a significant increase in mindfulness was found in the MBCUL, F(1, 20) = 16.32, p = .001, compared with controls. Attrition was high, and the small numbers limit the generalizability of the data. However, the results suggest that MBCUL is an acceptable, useful mindfulness program for university students, which warrants further investigation with larger samples.