Improving the psychosocial wellbeing of international students: the relevance of mindfulness

ABSTRACT

In this study we analysed the potential of a mindfulness programme for improving psychosocial wellbeing among students at a Dutch university. Based on interviews and observations of sessions, the study demonstrated that students joined the programme to manage stress and anxiety, cultivate self-awareness, and regulate difficult emotions. They all reported positive outcomes, but students who participated in the sessions regularly and did the homework assignments reported better outcomes, including enhanced self-awareness, self-care, and positive attitudes towards others. Although students reported improved emotion regulation, many still believed that the programme was less strong in this area. The study affirms the potential of mindfulness programmes for improving the psychosocial wellbeing, and builds a case for the integration of mindfulness interventions in university counselling services.

KEYWORDS:

• International students
• counselling in higher education
• mindfulness in education
• outcomes
• qualitative research

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Hülya Kosar Altinyelken is an assistant professor in the Child Development and Education Department of the University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Her research interests cover a wide range of issues, including mindfulness in education, citizenship, and identity development and social integration among Muslim youth in the Netherlands.

Lianne Hoek completed the research master’s programme in Child Development and Education at the University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. She now works as a teacher and research assistant in the Department of Child Development and Education, University of Amsterdam. Her main research interests focus on social outcomes of education and citizenship education.

Lina Jiang is a PhD candidate in the Department of Child Development and Education, the University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Her research is concerned with internationalisation of higher education, with a focus on Chinese tertiary-level students’ experiences in academic and social integration in the Netherlands.