Students experiences of an 8-week mindfulness-based intervention at a college of opportunity: a qualitative investigation of the mindfulness-based college program.
BMC Public Health
; 22(1): 2331, 2022 12 13.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-36514082
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Mindfulness-based programs have the potential to improve the well-being of undergraduate students by reducing anxiety, depression, and isolation in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this qualitative study was to explore lived experiences of undergraduates in a mindfulness-based program at a "college of opportunity" that has high proportions of first-generation college students. Specifically, we sought to (1) explore the application of mindfulness practices in students' daily lives; (2) explore how participants believe mindfulness training affected their health and well-being; (3) learn participants' recommendations and suggested changes for mindfulness-based interventions in future iterations.METHODS:
Students were recruited from XXX and consented to participate in semi-structured digitally conducting interviews after the completion of the 8-week intervention in the Fall/Spring 2020 academic year. Data were analyzed using Applied Thematic Analysis and a codebook was constructed using a consensus-driven process using both a priori and emergent coding. All transcripts were double-coded, and concordance was achieved for all interviews.RESULTS:
Qualitative results indicated that the most applied practices were those that could be easily incorporated into a daily routine. Furthermore, students reported an increased ability to cope with a variety of stressors, decreased reactivity, and enhanced resilience specifically concerning mental health challenges. Additionally, engaging in mindfulness training improved students' ability to navigate social distancing measures, other COVID-19-specific stress, and enhanced motivation for self-care practices to sustain well-being. Concerning preferred intervention delivery modality, participants stated that due to multiple, growing responsibilities (e.g., pressures of commuting to class) they preferred in-person delivery, shorter sessions over a longer period, with classes in the morning or early afternoon.CONCLUSIONS:
Findings provide pragmatic and psychosocial insights into students' application of mindfulness training across personal, professional, and academic domains enhancing their well-being. This work builds on qualitative work concerning students' perceptions and applications of mindfulness while offering insights into the future of mindfulness programs among undergraduates. TRIAL REGISTRATION Clinicaltrials.gov NCT03124446.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Atenção Plena
/
COVID-19
Tipo de estudo:
Guideline
/
Qualitative_research
Limite:
Humans
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2022
Tipo de documento:
Article