(PS2-2) Online Mindfulness for College Students and Its Effects on Anxiety, Depression, Stress and Test Anxiety

Research shows that mindfulness interventions for anxiety and test anxiety in a college student population are beneficial (Lothes, Matney, & Naseer, 2022). This research spotlight presentation will discuss how online mindfulness practices over a 5-week period affect anxiety and test anxiety in college students. Change scores in depression, anxiety and stress scores will also be discussed. Participants from over 5 different semesters between Spring 2020 through Spring 2024 (N =196) included students that were randomly assigned to either a sitting meditation (N = 99) or a wait list control (WLC, N = 98). A weekly schedule of mindfulness practices was given to participants to complete on their own for 5 weeks. The WLC did not do any mindfulness for the first 5 weeks. Participants in both conditions showed significant within-group reductions in test anxiety, overall anxiety, and DASS scores during their mindfulness intervention periods. Both groups also showed significant increases in FFMQ scores.

Regression analyses showed significant decreases in depression, stress, anxiety, and test anxiety predicted by specific types of mindfulness scores on the FFMQ among the mindfulness intervention group compared to the control group.  Within the mindfulness intervention group, there were significant reductions in stress change scores predicted by observe, describe, act with awareness, and non-reactivity on the FFMQ. Interestingly, only the describe scale of the FFMQ predicted lower depression scores. The describe and act with awareness scales of the FFMQ predicted lower overall anxiety scores within the intervention sample. Higher scores on observe, describe, act with awareness, and non-reactivity predicted lower test anxiety (Emotionality) and describe and act with awareness predicted lower test anxiety (Worry). The changes in the mindfulness subscales account for a significant amount of variance in the changes in symptom scores reported above.

Mindfulness may play a role in the reduction of anxiety and test anxiety. Further research is needed to assess how mindfulness may affect anxiety and test anxiety in college students.