Impact of a mindfulness intervention on perceived stress, depression, and anxiety in college students

WCU Author/Contributor (non-WCU co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Lauren Hope Conder (Creator)
Institution
Western Carolina University (WCU )
Web Site: http://library.wcu.edu/
Advisor
David McCord

Abstract: Rates of anxiety and depression are increasing in young adults and college students (D’Amico, Mechling, Kemppainen, Ahem, & Lee, 2016). College is a time that can be filled with academic, financial, personal, and identity stressors. One potential way that college students can cope with perceived stress is through mindfulness. This current study examined the relationship between mindfulness, perceived stress, anxiety, and depression in college students. More specifically this study examined differences in these measures over the course of a semester in a mindfulness and yoga based stress management and wellness class, a stress management class that did not receive a mindfulness intervention, and a general health class, that was a component to the university’s general education program. We predicted that a mindfulness intervention in the context of a stress management class would significantly reduce levels of stress, depression as operationalized by demoralization and anhedonia, and anxiety over the course of a semester when compared to a general stress management and wellness class and a general health class. We also predicted that both stress management and wellness classes would be significantly different from the general health class on these measures. It was hypothesized that the mindfulness and yoga based stress management and wellness class would be significantly higher on measures of mindfulness than the other groups. The Perceived Stress Scale, the Minnesota Behavioral Health Screener, and the Five-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire were used in a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). However, there were no statistically significant differences between the groups on perceived stress, demoralization, anhedonia, and anxiety.

Additional Information

Publication
Thesis
Language: English
Date: 2018
Keywords
Anxiety, Depression, Mindfulness
Subjects
Stress (Psychology) -- Prevention
College students -- Mental health services
Mindfulness (Psychology)
Stress management

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