Mindfulness Therapy and Mental Health

Anxiety and depression are the most common mental disorders, with a significant impact on work capability and performance. College students face stressors such as leaving home, assuming new responsibilities, and academic challenges, leading to increased stress and difficulty coping with stressors. As a result, many students sacrifice their sleep quality. Early psychological interventions can help prevent mental disorders, and the prevalence of mental health disorders varies widely among university students.

A study published in Frontiers in Public Health concluded that mindfulness therapy may reduce depression, anxiety, and stress in university students. Additionally, it may improve their sleep quality but not their mindfulness rating scores significantly. These findings emphasize mindfulness therapy's effects on students' moods.

This study estimated the effect of mindfulness therapy on mental health. Two researchers conducted a meta-analysis of 12 databases to determine how mindfulness therapy impacts depression. They searched relevant trials (January 2018 to May 2023) and measured depression using different scales and scoring systems like:

• Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)
• Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9)
• Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (QIDS)
• Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS)
• Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS)
• Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS)

After screening, they included 11 randomized controlled trials involving 1,824 participants.

Key Findings

• Studies demonstrated positive effects of mindfulness therapy on depression, anxiety, stress, and sleep quality with SMDs of −0.33, −0.35, −0.39, and −0.81, respectively.
• There was no significant difference in mindfulness between the mindfulness therapy and control groups, with an SMD of -0.12.
• Future studies should evaluate the effectiveness of strategies to enhance mindfulness therapy adherence and fidelity in improving mental health outcomes.

It is crucial to develop a simple, economical, and effective intervention to address mental health issues among university students.

Study Strengths

Study strengths include the inclusion of studies from 12 global databases, a representative sample, and a large sample size, all of which lead to subgroup and sensitivity analysis.

Reference

Zuo X et al. The efficacy of mindfulness-based interventions on mental health among university students: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Front Public Health. 2023 Nov 30;11:1259250. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1259250.