Problem Background
Stress, anxiety, and depression are common mental health conditions among college students. Researchers have investigated multiple interventions to manage these mental conditions (Li et al., 2023). Most college people are young and adolescents, which makes them vulnerable, especially when they experience severe anxiety, stress, and depression. This results in negative student feelings, severely affecting their career development and academic performance (Yu et al., 2022).
This brings the need for intervention programs that effectively handle mental health problems among college students, considering most schools have mental health programs. However, the rate of psychological problems is still high. Stress, anxiety, and depression have similar etiology and may result in complex issues in adulthood (Fulambarkar et al., 2022). Although various schools have mental health intervention programs, their effectiveness in managing stress, anxiety, and depression among students remains questionable.
Mindfulness-based interventions originate from Buddhism, as it integrates meditation and contemplation. According to Li et al. (2023), they handle several mental health problems by creating present experiences rather than focusing on the past. The present-focused skill can also entail exercises that individuals engage in daily (Repo et al., 2022). This allows them to release the frustration they have experienced, leading to positive emotions.
The method can also be perceived as combining the present moment and self-regulation, which involves openness. Mindfulness helps promote people’s emotional well-being as they learn to tolerate their emotions through a guided routine, which enables them to cope more effectively (Lo et al., 2022). These tools are non-judgmental; the current tools used in managing mental health include mindfulness-based stress reduction therapy (MBSR), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT).
Research Question
Are mindfulness-based interventions more effective than traditional tools in managing stress, anxiety, and depression among college students?
Research Objectives
- To identify the effectiveness of mindfulness-based intervention in managing stress, anxiety, and depression.
- To identify mindfulness-based intervention tools that efficiently manage mental health problems.
Literature Review
Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) are easily implemented in schools, as they promote well-being among adolescents. According to Fulambarkar et al. (2022), MBIs in schools result from mindfulness practices that involve accepting experiences without the involvement of judgmental attitudes. They focus on cultivating awareness of the present moment by improving students’ attention skills, thereby enhancing their overall well-being.
Vadvilavicius et al. (2023) argue that mindfulness enables people to accept body sensations, experiences, emotions, and thoughts. It supports Fulambarkar et al.’s (2022) argument by claiming that individuals who can perceive their daily life experiences have a chance of taking breaks when faced with anxiety, depression, or stressful moments.
When practicing pausing, one develops good psychological resilience, which is beneficial for long-term mental well-being. MBIs can encompass both formal and informal practices that help individuals cultivate mindfulness on a daily basis. Practicing mindfulness enhances the critical environmental senses in decision-making (Vadvilavicius et al., 2023). It also reduces amygdala activity responsible for fight-or-flight actions.
Most schools use interventions such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and pharmacotherapy to manage mental health problems such as anxiety, depression, and stress as the first choice. A study by Haller et al. (2021) demonstrates that MBIs also yield promising outcomes when employed in the management of mental health issues, including MBSR, MBCT, and ACT.
MBSR involves a standardized group activity conducted over several weeks, with an average duration of 2.5 hours (Haller et al., 2021). The key activities in MBSR include yoga asanas, sitting meditation, mindful relaxation techniques, and walking meditation. MBCT involves integrating cognitive behavioral therapy methods such as developing enjoyable tasks, cognitive restructuring, and mental education (Lo et al., 2022).
MBCT also takes approximately eight weeks of activities in everyday settings and home practices. ACT technique includes mindfulness strategies, acceptance, CBT, goal setting, and present experiences to develop a commitment (Haller et al., 2021). ACT usually employs an individual approach but can also include group activities in non-clinical settings, such as schools.
Mental health problems such as anxiety may result in high-stress levels, leading to panic, fear in certain situations, and generalized anxiety. Hoge et al. (2023) argue that high anxiety levels may result in severe psychiatric problems such as suicide. Hoge et al. (2023) claim that although pharmacological treatments are useful in managing mental health problems such as anxiety, many people have problems accessing them. The body’s response to such therapy significantly varies; in some patients, the medication does not work, while in others, it results in severe side effects such as nausea and drowsiness.
Therefore, this brings the need for mindfulness-based interventions such as MBSR, which can help patients effectively manage anxiety. Hoge et al.’s (2023) study shows that MBI interventions are significant in managing mental health problems. However, the program does not apply to everyone as it requires effort and time to succeed. Individuals require participation in multiple sessions and home activities to ensure the process succeeds.
The MBCT program can improve the mental health outcome of young people, considering that they are actively involved in exercises. From Sylvia et al.’s (2022) study, individuals who participated in MBCT intervention programs showed significant improvement in their mental health, including mindfulness, anxiety, and depression. Furthermore, individuals who completed most of the intervention programs reported higher mental health levels than the rest of the groups. This indicates that participants must complete all program activities to achieve positive results.
Sylvia et al. (2022) argue that the program is suitable for individuals with difficulties in pharmacotherapy; this supports Hoge et al.’s (2023) findings. MBCT has positive outcomes on the mental health of people; hence, it is a suitable tool for countering stress, anxiety, and depression. Zhou et al. (2020) argue that MBIs have a significant effect on managing stress in young people. It enables adolescents to cope with mental health changes, including depression, anxiety, and stress, through mood regulation.
Proposed Methodology
Research Approach
The current study will utilize a deductive research approach, which guides the researcher in determining the type of data to be collected (Young et al., 2019; Casula, Rangarajan, & Shields, 2020). This approach evaluates the effectiveness of the mindfulness theory in mental health. The selection of the deductive approach in the current study is also backed by the previous literature materials that have investigated the application of mindfulness in mental health well-being.
Research Method
The current study employs a quantitative research method, where numerical data are collected. The quantitative method is preferred over the qualitative method in the current research study because the effectiveness of mindfulness can be well explained using numerical analysis, where p-values can be calculated. The p-values will help the researcher identify the statistically significant group. Furthermore, the tool used to collect the data is designed for quantitative data, which also supports the use of quantitative research in the current study.
Research Strategy
The quantitative method employed in this research is experimental, involving two randomly selected groups. The groups in this design consist of an experimental and a control group. The experimental group is subjected to an intervention that addresses mental health issues. In contrast, the control group engages in mindfulness activities (Stoner, Felix, and Stadler Blank, 2022). The experimental method is selected because the study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of mindfulness in managing mental health problems. Using the experimental method will help identify the group with favorable outcomes.
Proposed Data Type
The proposed data type in this research is determined by the measures the researcher will use in data collection. Depression will utilize the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI–2), which will collect data in an ordinal type. The anxiety measure will use the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), which collects data in an ordinal type.
The stress measure will utilize the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), a well-established ordinal measure. These scales utilize ordinal data types because they use the Likert scale system. The nominal data types that will be collected entail the age of the students, daily travel time, academic performance, financial overview, and time spent preparing for exams. The choice of the data type is supported by the data being collected to ensure accuracy.
Data Collection Method and Analysis
In both the experimental and control groups, the researcher will use questionnaires to collect data. Depression data will be collected using BDI-2, an instrument with 21 items, to assess the quality of the depression symptoms. Anxiety data will be collected using the STAI-Y, an instrument consisting of 40 items that assess the degree of anxiety. Stress will be assessed using the PSS, a 10-item instrument.
Personal data and performance will be measured using a questionnaire designed by the researcher. Stress, anxiety, and depression scales were selected due to their high consistency and reliability, ensuring that the data collected was accurate and effective. Data will be analyzed using SPSS version 25, where descriptive and inferential analyses will be done. Descriptive tests include the mean, median, and mode, while inferential tests include ANOVA and MANOVA.
Contribution to Knowledge
This study aims to provide insights into the issue by employing primary data collection methods, thereby informing the existing literature on this topic. Identifying its effectiveness will enable colleges to take into consideration the advantages of applying mindfulness-based interventions in managing mental problems, hence reducing the rates of poor performance, suicide, and college dropouts as a result of emotional breakdown. Furthermore, the research will also create an opportunity for comparison between the present findings and other existing literature materials. This will also motivate other researchers to replicate the current study, thereby creating room for improvement in the findings identified.
Reference List
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Casula, M., Rangarajan, N. and Shields, P. (2020) ‘The potential of working hypotheses for deductive exploratory research’, Quality & Quantity, 55(5), pp. 1703–1725. Web.
Fulambarkar, N. et al. (2022) ‘Review: Meta‐analysis on Mindfulness‐based interventions for adolescents’ stress, depression, and anxiety in school settings: A cautionary tale’, Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 28(2), pp. 307–317. Web.
Haller, H. et al. (2021) ‘A systematic review and meta-analysis of acceptance- and mindfulness-based interventions for DSM-5 anxiety disorders’, Scientific Reports, 11(1), pp. 1–16. Web.
Hoge, E.A. et al. (2023) ‘Mindfulness-based stress reduction vs Escitalopram for the treatment of adults with anxiety disorders’, JAMA Psychiatry, 80(1), pp. 1–4. Web.
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