The Effect of Meditation on Self-Reported Measures of Stress, Anxiety, Depression, and Perfectionism in a College Population

Abstract

The effects of meditation, specifically Transcendental Meditation (TM), on college students' experience of stress, anxiety, depression, and perfectionistic thoughts was investigated using 43 undergraduate students. Self-report measures of the variables were completed prior to the start of the study. Student groups were trained in TM and practiced the technique consistently over a two-semester period. Post-TM measures were administered at the end of the two semesters. The groups showed a significant decline on all variables. Suggestions for the use of meditation as an adjunct to treatment in a college population are discussed.

Keywords:

• anxiety
• depression
• meditation
• perfectionism
• stress
• Transcendental Meditation

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Lynn Kaplan and Peter Trivelas, the Transcendental Meditation (TM) instructors, for their commitment and dedication to our program. We also want to thank Dr. David Reuman for his assistance with statistical analyses. We thank the David Lynch Foundation for Consciousness Based Education and World Peace for funding the TM training. The David Lynch Foundation was not involved in the development or execution of the research study. The research staff was not financially compensated by this grant.