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Mindfulness has been promoted as a way to increase resiliency during times of stress. Universities are reporting that record numbers of undergraduate students are seeking mental health services related to stress. This study assessed the feasibility of layering brief mindfulness-based practice within a large-scale university course. Data were collected from 115 participants enrolled in a third-year psychology course. The intervention took approximately 5 min of the 80-min class time on alternating course days, resulting in no deleterious effects on learning outcomes. 53.6% of the students indicated that they had used the practice outside of class, possibly leading to long-term positive effects in multiple areas. One-fifth of students reported seeking out other opportunities to learn about mindfulness in the same semester. Participants reported increased stress and decreased mindfulness over the course of the study, which corresponded to the assessment points within the semester, but may also highlight the impact of mindfulness training on awareness of both positive and negative emotional states. Future research should consider the role of brief mindfulness interventions in stress reduction, anxiety reduction, overall coping, and academic engagement in the undergraduate large-class environment.

BACKGROUND: Parents and teachers of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are at-risk for a range of suboptimal psychosocial outcomes, including mental health difficulties and heightened stress, problems perhaps ameliorated through mindfulness-based programming.OBJECTIVE: To show pilot data from an investigation of the outcomes of a purpose-built mindfulness training for parents and teachers of children with ADHD (N = 26). METHODS: The program represents a purpose-driven modification of the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) curriculum. Namely, we reduced participant time commitment and added psychoeducation about ADHD with brief parent training. The measurement protocol included measures of stress, anxiety, depression, and mindfulness. RESULTS: Following the 8-week program, parents and teachers reported reduced perceived stress, reduced self-reported anxiety, and improvements in some facets of mindfulness. CONCLUSION: The work highlights the promise of specialized mindfulness-based interventions in promoting positive psychosocial outcomes in specific at-risk groups, such as the carers of children with ADHD.

BACKGROUND: Parents and teachers of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are at-risk for a range of suboptimal psychosocial outcomes, including mental health difficulties and heightened stress, problems perhaps ameliorated through mindfulness-based programming.OBJECTIVE: To show pilot data from an investigation of the outcomes of a purpose-built mindfulness training for parents and teachers of children with ADHD (N = 26). METHODS: The program represents a purpose-driven modification of the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) curriculum. Namely, we reduced participant time commitment and added psychoeducation about ADHD with brief parent training. The measurement protocol included measures of stress, anxiety, depression, and mindfulness. RESULTS: Following the 8-week program, parents and teachers reported reduced perceived stress, reduced self-reported anxiety, and improvements in some facets of mindfulness. CONCLUSION: The work highlights the promise of specialized mindfulness-based interventions in promoting positive psychosocial outcomes in specific at-risk groups, such as the carers of children with ADHD.

A number of experts have described mindfulness as a naturally occurring quality in the human mind that is present to some degree in all people, even without training in mindfulness or meditation. This study examined whether trait mindfulness is associated with reduced stress response activation and enhanced self-regulatory activity with recurrent stress. Self-ratings of mindfulness and continuous measures of physiological reactivity before, during, and after an interview about a recurrent stressful issue were collected from 47 undergraduate participants to examine our primary objective. Findings indicated that mindful individuals were less likely to engage in metabolically costly physiological activation in response to an emotionally challenging task, but were more likely to engage parasympathetic responding following the task, a response which is associated with effective downregulation following stress. Results from our study suggest that “natively mindful” individuals have the ability to engage self-regulatory physiological responding associated with improved adaptability and flexibility in a changing environment. Thus, mindfulness may be associated with physical indices of emotional well-being. Furthermore, our data adds evidence for the validity of self-report measures of mindfulness.