Improving stress management, anxiety, and mental well-being in medical students through an online Mindfulness-Based Intervention: a randomized study.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a comprehensive Mindfulness-Based Intervention (MBI) in reducing stress, anxiety, and improving well-being among medical students.
Results Summary
The intervention significantly reduced perceived stress, improved mental well-being, emotional regulation, resilience, attentional control, and reduced mind-wandering and overall distress.
Population
Medical students from Italian universities (total sample of 362 students).
Effective Dosage
10 twice-a-week Integral Meditation classes, dietary advice, and brief yoga sessions.
Duration
Not explicitly stated, but implied to span the duration of the 10 sessions.
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
comprehensive Mindfulness-Based Intervention (MBI) comprising 10 twice-a-week Integral Meditation classes, dietary advice, and brief yoga sessions | decrease | perceived stress | medical students from Italian universities | β = -2.57 [-4.02; -1.12] | effective in reducing | #1 |
comprehensive Mindfulness-Based Intervention (MBI) comprising 10 twice-a-week Integral Meditation classes, dietary advice, and brief yoga sessions | increase | mental well-being | medical students from Italian universities | β = 2.82 [1.02; 4.63] | improving | #2 |
comprehensive Mindfulness-Based Intervention (MBI) comprising 10 twice-a-week Integral Meditation classes, dietary advice, and brief yoga sessions | increase | emotional regulation | medical students from Italian universities | β = -8.24 [-12.98; -3.51] | effective in improving | #3 |
comprehensive Mindfulness-Based Intervention (MBI) comprising 10 twice-a-week Integral Meditation classes, dietary advice, and brief yoga sessions | increase | resilience | medical students from Italian universities | β = 3.79 [1.32; 6.26] | improving | #4 |
comprehensive Mindfulness-Based Intervention (MBI) comprising 10 twice-a-week Integral Meditation classes, dietary advice, and brief yoga sessions | decrease | tendency to wander with the mind | medical students from Italian universities | β = -0.70 [-0.99; -0.39] | reducing | #5 |
comprehensive Mindfulness-Based Intervention (MBI) comprising 10 twice-a-week Integral Meditation classes, dietary advice, and brief yoga sessions | increase | ability to maintain attention (AC-S) | medical students from Italian universities | β = -0.23 [-0.44; -0.02] | ameliorating | #6 |
comprehensive Mindfulness-Based Intervention (MBI) comprising 10 twice-a-week Integral Meditation classes, dietary advice, and brief yoga sessions | increase | ability to maintain attention (AC-D) | medical students from Italian universities | β = -0.19 [-0.36; -0.01] | ameliorating | #7 |
comprehensive Mindfulness-Based Intervention (MBI) comprising 10 twice-a-week Integral Meditation classes, dietary advice, and brief yoga sessions | decrease | overall distress | medical students from Italian universities | β = 1.84 [0.45; 3.23] | ameliorating | #8 |
Pressures and responsibilities of medical school put a strain on medical student's personal wellbeing, leading among all to high rates of anxiety, emotional discomfort and stress. In this work we evaluated the effectiveness of a comprehensive Mindfulness-Based Intervention (MBI) in reducing this load. The intervention comprised 10 twice-a-week Integral Meditation classes, dietary advice, and brief yoga sessions. We performed a randomized trial on two cohort of medical students from Italian universities: 239 in cohort 1 (106 treated and 133 controls), and 123 in cohort 2 (68 treated and 55 control) for a total sample of 362 students. Nine questionnaires for evaluating the effectiveness of our intervention on stress (PSS), state anxiety (STAIX-1), well-being (WEMWBS), mind-wandering (MW-S), overall distress (PANAS), emotion regulation (DERS), resilience (RS-14), and attentional control (ACS-C and ACS-D) were collected both pre and post intervention. Linear mixed effect models were run on the whole sample showing that, after multiple testing correction, our intervention was effective in reducing perceived stress (β = - 2.57 [- 4.02; - 1.12], p = 0.004), improving mental well-being (β = 2.82 [1.02; 4.63], p = 0.008) and emotional regulation (β = - 8.24 [- 12.98; - 3.51], p = 0.004), resilience (β = 3.79 [1.32; 6.26], p = 0.008), reducing the tendency to wander with the mind (β = - 0.70 [- 0.99; - 0.39], p = 0.0001), ameliorating the ability to maintain attention (AC-S (β = - 0.23 [- 0.44; - 0.02], p = 0.04) and AC-D (β = - 0.19 [- 0.36; - 0.01], p = 0.04)), and the overall distress (β = 1.84 [0.45; 3.23], p = 0.02).