Anxiety and College Students: The Benefits of Mindfulness Based Mediation

Abstract

Approximately 62% of college students report experiencing anxiety during the past 12 months (American College Health Association [ACHA], 2016). Of those students, approximately 27% stated that their anxiety had taken a negative toll on their academic performance (ACHA, 2016). This study aimed to test the efficacy of prescribed mindfulness meditation in reducing symptoms of anxiety in a college population when compared to a control group. This study employed a classic experimental design using Headspace as a prescribed activity in comparison to a control group. Headspace is an interactive mindfulness meditation mobile phone application with substantial research that is freely available for cell phones and tablets. The study consisted of 72 college students randomly assigned to either the experimental group (n = 33) or control group (n = 39). The participants were assessed at baseline and after completing the 14-day intervention using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Over the 14-day period, the experimental group participants completed ten, 10-minute sessions of Headspace while the control group participants continued with business as usual. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA, and repeated-measures ANOVA. Preliminary results indicate that the anxiety scores for the control group had a statistically significant decrease in S-Anxiety, but not T-Anxiety after completing ten, 10-minute sessions of Headspace. Although this study did not accept the hypotheses, the results help to understand the importance of examining prescribed amounts of time for participation in interventions to achieve meaningful changes that increase the functional capacity of clients.