A nonrandomised trial of a five-week brief mindfulness-based intervention for emerging adults experiencing anxious and depressive symptoms

ABSTRACT

Objective

We tested the effectiveness of a brief mindfulness-based intervention (bMBI) for emerging adults (EAs) experiencing anxious and depressive symptoms. Specifically, we examined: (1) whether there are improvements in mental health outcomes among participants at post-intervention and in a one-month follow-up, and (2) whether initial health variables predict overall mental health improvement over the intervention.

Method

Forty-five undergraduate students who were experiencing mood and/or anxiety symptoms participated in a five-session, in-person mindfulness group. Data on anxious symptoms (Generalised Anxiety Disorder-7), depressive symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire–9), mental well-being (Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale), perceived stress (10-item Perceived Stress Scale), and self-compassion (12-item Self-Compassion Scale – Short Form) were collected at baseline, immediately prior to the beginning of the intervention, at the beginning of session three, immediately following the intervention and at one-month follow-up.

Results

The preliminary analysis indicated that this five-session bMBI for EAs was: (1) effective in decreasing psychological distress and increasing well-being, with improvements continuing at the follow-up; and (2) that pre-bMBI self-compassion moderated anxious, depressive and well-being scores at mid-bMBI, post-bMBI, and one-month follow-up.

Discussion

The current findings lend support for an effective intervention for EAs and provide direction for increased services and preventative strategies for EAs in post-secondary education. This study is one of the few studies on such therapeutic interventions for mood and anxiety within EA research.

KEYWORDS:

• Anxiety
• depression
• mindfulness
• prevention
• brief intervention
• program evaluation

Acknowledgements

Appreciation and thanks goes out to our research assistants on this project, Mariam Khalid, Abdulkhader Mohammed, and Tracey Ragnanan, for their work in participant data collection and group preparation. Thanks also goes out to Dr. Louise Hartley for providing resources and space to host our groups.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The raw data, analysis code, and materials used in this study are not openly available but are available upon request to the corresponding author. No aspects of the study were pre-registered.

Additional information

Funding

Funding (Funding Reference Number: 170828) by Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Canada Graduate Scholarships – Doctoral (CGS-D) program supported this work.