Mindfulness-based intervention helps preclinical medical students to contain stress, maintain mindfulness and improve academic success.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to assess the connection between stress, mindfulness, and academic performance in medical students and evaluate whether a mindfulness-based intervention could reduce stress and improve academic achievements.
Results Summary
The study found that stress was inversely related to mindfulness and exam performance. The mindfulness intervention helped contain stress and maintain mindfulness for at least six months, but its benefits on academic success were transient and only detectable immediately after the intervention.
Population
143 preclinical medical students (41 in the intervention group, 86 controls).
Effective Dosage
Six two-hour mindfulness courses.
Duration
The intervention spanned the period between the first and third terms (exact duration not specified).
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
mindfulness-based intervention | decrease | stress | medical students | - | helped to contain stress | #1 |
mindfulness-based intervention | no change | mindfulness | medical students | - | maintain mindfulness | #2 |
mindfulness-based intervention | increase | scholarly success | medical students | - | beneficial effects on scholarly success were transient and only detectable at completion of the intervention | #3 |
- | decrease | stress | medical students | - | inversely related | #4 |
- | decrease | results of the most challenging exam | medical students | - | inversely related | #5 |
BACKGROUND: Stress among students is on the rise during early medical school and has been implicated in poor academic performance. Several methods are being discussed to efficiently reduce stress, among them mindfulness-based interventions. We therefore set out to assess how stress, mindfulness, and academic performance are connected and if an intervention on mindfulness based stress reduction could alleviate stress among medical students and improve their academic achievements. METHODS: A non-randomized controlled trial including 143 medical students in their preclinical years was performed in 2019. The students completed two surveys - one in the first, the other in the third term - recording perceived stress and mindfulness via validated scales (PSS-10 and MAAS). In between both, 41 students participated in a voluntary mindfulness-based intervention including six two-hours courses. 86 students served as controls. Scholarly success was assessed via the scores achieved in six exams written during the observation period. RESULTS: Stress was inversely related with mindfulness and with the results of the most challenging exam. The intervention on mindfulness based stress reduction helped to contain stress and maintain mindfulness during the observation period and this effect lasted for at least six months beyond completion of the intervention. In contrast, beneficial effects on scholarly success were transient and only detectable at completion of the intervention. CONCLUSION: Our observation of short- and intermediate term effects resulting from six individual interventions on mindfulness based stress reduction is encouraging and calls for alternative strategies to induce long-lasting impacts.