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This blog, part of the Center for Koru Mindfulness, a form of mindfulness developed at Duke University, targets “twenty-somethings” but many of its postings are geared specifically for college students, with tips on how to spend spring break, how to stop procrastinating school work, and how to start the semester off right. Many contemplative instructors draw from this method in their classrooms.
"College students and other young adults today are experiencing high levels of stress as they pursue personal, educational, and career goals. In recent years, there has been increased awareness of the seriousness of these struggles, which may increase the risk of psychological distress and mental illness among this age group now commonly referred to as 'emerging adults.' Scientific research has shown that practicing mindfulness can help manage stress and enhance quality of life, but traditional methods of teaching mindfulness and meditation are not always effective for this developmental stage. Mindfulness for the Next Generation is an easy-to-use guide that details a four-session mindfulness-based program, called 'Koru,' aimed at helping young adults cope with anxiety, navigate the tasks they face, and achieve meaningful personal growth. Authors Holly Rogers and Margaret Maytan, Duke University psychiatrists and the developers of the Koru program, discuss the unique challenges this group faces, identify effective teaching techniques for working with them, and review the research supporting mindfulness for stress reduction in a scientifically rigorous yet reader-friendly way. The book explains the specific model created by the authors and describes each session in a 'mini-manual' format. Mindfulness for the Next Generation is written for therapists, teachers, health professionals, and student service providers who work with college students and other emerging adults."--Publisher's website.
As a twenty-something, you may feel like you are being pulled in dozen different directions. With the daily tumult, busyness, and major life changes you experience as a young adult, you may also be particularly vulnerable to stress and its negative effects. Emerging adulthood, which occurs between the ages of 18 and 29, is a developmental stage of life when you’re faced with important decisions about school, relationships, sex, your career, and more. With so much going on, you need a guide to help you navigate with less stress and more ease.The Koru Mindfulness program, developed at Duke University and already in use on numerous college campuses—including Harvard, Yale, Princeton, MIT, Dartmouth, and several others—and in treatment centers across the country, is the only evidence-based mindfulness training program for young adults that has been empirically proven to have significant benefits for sleep, perceived stress, and self-compassion. Now, with The Mindful Twenty-Something, this popular program is accessible to all young adults struggling with stress.
With Koru Mindfulness and the practical tools you’ll learn from this acceptance-based, proven-effective approach, you’ll be able to cultivate the compassion and mindfulness skills you need to manage life’s challenges from a calm, balanced center, regardless of what comes your way.
ObjectiveTo evaluate the effectiveness of Koru, a mindfulness training program for college students and other emerging adults.
Participants
Ninety students (66% female, 62% white, 71% graduate students) participated between Fall 2012 and Spring 2013.
Methods
Randomized controlled trial. We hypothesized that Koru, compared to a wait-list control group, would reduce perceived stress and sleep problems, and increase mindfulness, self-compassion, and gratitude.
Results
As hypothesized, results showed significant Group (Koru, wait-list) X Time (pre, post) interactions for improvements in perceived stress (F=4.50, df [1, 76.40], p=.037, d=.45), sleep problems (F= 4.71, df [1,79.49], p=.033, d=.52), mindfulness (F=26.80, df [1, 79.09], p<.001, d=.95), and self-compassion (F=18.08, df [1, 74.77], p<.001, d=.75). All significant effects were replicated in the wait-list group. Significant correlations were observed among changes in perceived stress, sleep problems, mindfulness, and self-compassion.
Conclusions
Results support the effectiveness of the Koru program for emerging adults in the university setting.
College students and other young adults today are experiencing high levels of stress as they pursue personal, educational, and career goals. In recent years, there has been increased awareness of the seriousness of these struggles, which may increase the risk of psychological distress and mental illness among this age group now commonly referred to as 'emerging adults.' Scientific research has shown that practicing mindfulness can help manage stress and enhance quality of life, but traditional methods of teaching mindfulness and meditation are not always effective for this developmental stage.Mindfulness for the Next Generation is an easy-to-use guide that details a four-session mindfulness-based program, called 'Koru,' aimed at helping young adults cope with anxiety, navigate the tasks they face, and achieve meaningful personal growth. Authors Holly Rogers and Margaret Maytan, Duke University psychiatrists and the developers of the Koru program, discuss the unique challenges this group faces, identify effective teaching techniques for working with them, and review the research supporting mindfulness for stress reduction in a scientifically rigorous yet reader-friendly way. The book explains the specific model created by the authors and describes each session in a 'mini-manual' format. Mindfulness for the Next Generation is written for therapists, teachers, health professionals, and student service providers who work with college students and other emerging adults.