Multi-year investigation of a relaxation course with a mindfulness meditation component on college students’ stress, resilience, coping and mindfulness

Abstract

Objective

Examine the effects of a relaxation course with a mindfulness meditation component in a two-group pre-test and post-test non‐randomized study design.

Participants

Participants included 219 undergraduate students (experimental group: n = 103; control group: n = 116), 18–43 years old.

Methods

Completion of measures of stress, resilience, coping and mindfulness at the beginning and end of the intervention.

Results

The independent sample t-test analysis revealed a statistically significant decrease in stress and maladaptive coping, and an increase in resilience in the experimental group compared to the control group.

Conclusion

Benefits were observed following the intervention by positively impacting factors associated with increased functioning in life. Classroom-based interventions could be considered beneficial for students.

Keywords:

• Academic course
• adaptive coping
• college students
• maladaptive coping
• mindfulness meditation
• resilience
• stress

Conflict of interest disclosure

The author has no conflicts of interest to report. The author confirms that the research presented in this article met the ethical guidelines, including adherence to the legal requirements, of the United States and received approval from the Institutional Review Board of Western Michigan University.

Funding

The author reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.