Effectiveness of a three-week brief Mindfulness- Based Stress Reduction among university students

Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) has been found to work well in easing stress among university students who constantly experience bouts of extensive stress. However, the typical eight weeks length of MBSR interventions may not suit the busy lives of students. This study explores the effectiveness of a three-week adaptation of the MBSR program in reducing perceived stress, enhancing mental well-being and mindfulness. It was hypothesized that this program would be effective enough to significantly decrease perceived stress, improve mental well-being and increase mindfulness among university students. Thirty-two undergraduate student participants completed three self-report scales which evaluated their perceived stress level, mental wellbeing and level of mindfulness before and after the intervention series. The results revealed a significant decrease in perceived stress levels, an improvement in mental well-being and an increase in mindfulness. Given the results, the present three-week brief-MBSR program model shows promise that a shortened intervention progam can be effective in improving mental well-being and mindfulness, as well as reducing perceived stress among university students as it provides a novel coping strategy in distressing situations. Further implications and limitations of this study will be discussed in regards to future considerations in qualitative support of quantitative data.