“Staying in the present moment is important”: Examining the impact of a short-term classroom-based mindfulness intervention among first-year students

Abstract

Objective: To determine the impact of four classroom-based sessions on mindfulness and symptoms of psychological distress among first-year students. A secondary objective was to explore participants’ involvement experiences. Participants: First-year undergraduate students at a Canadian university were recruited. Methods: A mixed-methods pre-experimental design with repeated measures was used. The mindfulness intervention involved four, 15-minute sessions delivered by a counselor from the university’s Student Health and Wellness center. Results: A significant positive change to participants’ mindfulness scores from pre- to post-intervention was observed. Qualitatively, themes relating to intervention benefits, challenges, and logistics emerged. Conclusions: Collectively, results supported the utility of this brief mindfulness intervention delivered to first-year students. Participants were appreciative of the techniques learned and the “in-class” delivery format. Given the pressures faced by post-secondary students, collaborating with student wellness centers in this way may represent a novel and efficient approach for attenuating health risks while promoting their personal wellness.

Keywords:

• brief intervention
• first-year students
• mindfulness
• psychological distress
• university classroom

Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge Irene Pugliese from the university’s Student Health and Wellness for assisting with development and delivery of the intervention as well as the students who participated.

Conflict of interest disclosure

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report. The authors confirm that the research presented in this article met the ethical guidelines, including adherence to the legal requirements, of Canada and received approval from the Institutional Review Board of Lakehead University Research Ethics Board.

Funding

No funding was used to support this research and/or the preparation of the manuscript.