Journal Article

Six-year positive effects of a mindfulness-based intervention on mindfulness, coping and well-being in medical and psychology students; Results from a randomized controlled trial

Reidar Tyssen, Adam Hanley, Michael de Vibe, Jan H. Rosenvinge, Eric Garland, Ida Solhaug

2018

Overview

Longitudinal research investigating the enduring impact of mindfulness training is scarce. This study investigates the six-year effects of a seven-week mindfulness-based course, by studying intervention effects in the trajectory of dispositional mindfulness and coping skills, and the association between those change trajectories and subjective well-being at six-year follow-up. 288 Norwegian medical and psychology students participated in a randomized controlled trial. 144 received a 15-hour mindfulness course over seven weeks in the second or third semester with booster sessions twice yearly, while the rest continued their normal study curricula. Outcomes were subjective well-being, and dispositional mindfulness and coping assessed using the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire and the Ways of Coping Checklist. Analyses were performed for the intention-to-treat sample, using latent growth curve models. At six-year follow-up, students receiving mindfulness training reported increased well-being. Furthermore, they reported greater increases in the trajectory of dispositional mindfulness and problem-focused coping along with greater decreases in the trajectory of avoidance-focused coping. Increases in problem-focused coping predicted increases in well-being. These effects were found despite relatively low levels of adherence to formal mindfulness practice. The findings demonstrate the viability of mindfulness training in the promotion of well-being and adaptive coping, which could contribute to the quality of care given, and to the resilience and persistence of health care professionals. Clinicaltrials.gov NCT00892138.

• Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS),Public Library of Science
• Subject: Adaptation, Psychological / Adult / Analysis / Biology and Life Sciences / Clinical trials / Coping / Curricula / Emotions / Female / Health aspects / Health care / Health sciences / Humans / Intervention / Longitudinal Studies / Male / Medical care quality / Medical research / Medicine / Medicine and Health Sciences / Mindfulness / Mindfulness - methods / Mindfulness meditation / Motivation / Norway / People and Places / Professionals / Psychological aspects / Psychological factors / Psychology / Q / R / Randomization / Research Article / Resilience (Psychology) / Science / Social Sciences / Stress / Stress response / Stress, Psychological / Stress, Psychological - therapy / Students / Students, Health Occupations / Students, Health Occupations - psychology / Students, Medical / Students, Medical - psychology / Studies / Systematic review / Training / Trajectories / Treatment Adherence and Compliance / VDP::Samfunnsvitenskap: 200::Psykologi: 260 / VDP::Social science: 200::Psychology: 260 / Viability / Well being