What skills were cultivated during mindfulness intervention among health care university students?

Mindfulness has shown to reduce university students' stress and improve their well-being (Galante et al. 2018), and evidence is parallel regarding medical students (Daya & Hearn 2018). However, writers emphasize that each medical school should have their own evidence-based implementation. This study is part of a randomized controlled trial “Mindfulness for students” that was conducted at the Helsinki University, Faculty of Medicine in 2018. The aim of this study is to find out how students experienced the intervention and what skills were cultivated during the training. The participants (N=102) were randomly assed to a face-to-face, an internet or to a control group. Here we refer only to the self-reported experiences of the face-to-face training. The training consisted of eight-week course, once per week 75-90 minutes meeting and independent daily practice of about 10-30 minutes. The training was based on Kabat-Zinn's course MBSR, the book “Mindfulness” by Williams & Penman, and the Cambridge University’s manual "Mindfulness Skills for Students". All together 38 participants answered an e-questionnaire shortly after the intervention. The students were asked what was important, beneficial, considered as disadvantages or difficulties of the training and practice of mindfulness. The answers were analyzed by inductive content analysis. From those who started the intervention (n=39), 38 students completed the course with more than the 50% of attendance. The main benefits were development of self-awareness, self-acceptance, ability to take distance or be curious to one’s thoughts, and ability to calm down. Students considered group meetings important for learning, practicing and having group support. Most of the students did not see disadvantages. Guilt and anxiety arose from unaccomplished homework. Furthermore, some students mentioned that stress aroused for having more to do. Based on the results can be said that the Mindfulness training implemented in this way cultivated the core of Mindfulness skills in student from the Faculty of medicine. The teacher should be careful about the amount of practice required and give enough guidance on how to face the difficulties with the independent practice.