TY - JOUR
T1 - Comparison of two different mindfulness interventions among health care students in Finland
T2 - a randomised controlled trial
AU - Repo, Saara
AU - Elovainio, Marko
AU - Pyörälä, Eeva
AU - Iriarte-Lûttjohann, Monica
AU - Tuominen, Tiina Annika
AU - Härkönen, Tiina Karita
AU - Gluschkoff, Kia
AU - Paunio, Tiina
PY - 2022/8
Y1 - 2022/8
N2 - We investigated the short- and long-term effects of two different evidence-based mindfulness training on students’ stress and well-being. A randomised controlled trial with three measurement points (baseline, post-intervention, and 4 months post-intervention) was conducted among undergraduate students of medicine, dentistry, psychology, and logopaedics at the University of Helsinki. The participants were randomly assigned into three groups: (1) face-to-face mindfulness training based on the Mindfulness Skills for Students course (n = 40), (2) a web-based Student Compass program using Mindfulness and Acceptance and Commitment therapy (n = 22), and (3) a control group that received mental health support as usual (n = 40). The primary outcome was psychological distress measured using the Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation Outcome Measure (CORE-OM). Secondary outcomes included hair cortisol concentrations and a wide range of well-being indicators. Psychological distress increased in all the groups from baseline to post-intervention, but significantly less so in the intervention groups than in the control group. At 4-month follow-up, were found no differences between the primary outcomes of the control and intervention groups, but the participants who continued practising mindfulness at least twice a week were less stressed than the others. Our results suggest that participating in a mindfulness course may mitigate health care students’ psychological distress during the academic year, but only if the participants continue practising mindfulness at least twice a week.
AB - We investigated the short- and long-term effects of two different evidence-based mindfulness training on students’ stress and well-being. A randomised controlled trial with three measurement points (baseline, post-intervention, and 4 months post-intervention) was conducted among undergraduate students of medicine, dentistry, psychology, and logopaedics at the University of Helsinki. The participants were randomly assigned into three groups: (1) face-to-face mindfulness training based on the Mindfulness Skills for Students course (n = 40), (2) a web-based Student Compass program using Mindfulness and Acceptance and Commitment therapy (n = 22), and (3) a control group that received mental health support as usual (n = 40). The primary outcome was psychological distress measured using the Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation Outcome Measure (CORE-OM). Secondary outcomes included hair cortisol concentrations and a wide range of well-being indicators. Psychological distress increased in all the groups from baseline to post-intervention, but significantly less so in the intervention groups than in the control group. At 4-month follow-up, were found no differences between the primary outcomes of the control and intervention groups, but the participants who continued practising mindfulness at least twice a week were less stressed than the others. Our results suggest that participating in a mindfulness course may mitigate health care students’ psychological distress during the academic year, but only if the participants continue practising mindfulness at least twice a week.
KW - 516 Educational sciences
KW - Mindfulness
KW - Acceptance and commitment therapy ised control trial
KW - Health care students
KW - Well-being
KW - Distress
KW - · Well-being · Distress · Randomised control trial
KW - Sociology
KW - Mindfulness
KW - Acceptance and commitment therapy
KW - Health care students
KW - Well-being
KW - Distress
KW - Randomised control trial
KW - STRESS REDUCTION
KW - COMMITMENT THERAPY
KW - MENTAL-HEALTH
KW - UNIVERSITY-STUDENTS
KW - ACCEPTANCE
KW - PSYCHOLOGY
KW - COMPASSION
KW - MANAGEMENT
KW - EFFICACY
KW - IMPACT
U2 - 10.1007/s10459-022-10116-8
DO - 10.1007/s10459-022-10116-8
M3 - Article
SN - 1382-4996
VL - 27
SP - 709
EP - 734
JO - Advances in Health Sciences Education
JF - Advances in Health Sciences Education
IS - 3
ER -