A Mindfulness-Based Intervention for Student Depression, Anxiety, and Stress: Randomized Controlled Trial

Area of Science:

• Mental Health Interventions
• Digital Health
• Student Well-being

Background:

• University students report increasing distress and mental health challenges.
• Web-based interventions offer a scalable solution to address high student-to-counselor ratios.
• The Mindfulness Virtual Community (MVC) program utilizes mindfulness and CBT principles to reduce student symptoms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the 8-week MVC program's efficacy in reducing depression, anxiety, and perceived stress in undergraduate students.
• To assess the program's impact on mindfulness as a secondary outcome.
• To understand the program's effectiveness during a university labor strike, offering insights for pandemic-related disruptions.

Main Methods:

• A parallel-arm randomized controlled trial (RCT) with 154 undergraduate students.
• Participants were allocated to either the 8-week MVC intervention or a wait-list control (WLC).
• Outcomes (depression, anxiety, perceived stress, mindfulness) were measured using validated questionnaires (PHQ-9, BAI, PSS, FFMQ-SF) at baseline and 8-week follow-up.

Main Results:

• No significant between-group differences were found for depression (PHQ-9), anxiety (BAI), or mindfulness (FFMQ-SF).
• A statistically significant reduction in perceived stress (PSS) was observed in the MVC group compared to the WLC group (ITT: β=-2.31, P=.03; PP: β=-2.38, P=.03).
• Baseline characteristics were similar between the MVC and WLC groups, ensuring comparability.

Conclusions:

• The MVC program demonstrated efficacy in reducing perceived stress among students during a university labor strike.
• The program's effectiveness on other mental health indicators was not significant under these disrupted conditions.
• Findings provide context for evaluating online mental health interventions during unexpected campus disruptions.