Running  head:  METHODS  TO  IMPROVE  STRESS  AMONG  COLLEGE  STUDENTS          1  

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Methods  to  Improve  Stress  Among  College  Students:  Mindfulness,  Meditation  &  Yoga  

Interventions  

Emily  Belmonte,  Carrigan  Hayes,  Marissa  Mohs,  Anna  Romein,  Kaylie  Tran  

University  of  North  Florida  

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
  
 
METHODS  TO  IMPROVE  STRESS  AMONG  COLLEGE  STUDENTS     2  
                           

Methods  to  Improve  Stress  and  Depression  Among  College  Students:  Mindfulness,  

Meditation  &  Yoga  Interventions  

Literature  Review  

  The  implementation  of  mindfulness  through  the  practice  of  yoga  can  improve  

college  students  “mental  health,  psychological  distress,  life  satisfaction,  sleep  

disturbance,  and  energy  level.”  (Mak,  Chio,  Chan,  Lui,  &  Wu,  2017).  Research  indicates  

that  Mindfulness  Based  Stress  Reduction  training  (MBSR)  significantly  lowered  

depressive  symptoms,  anxiety,  and  psychological  distress  among  college  students  

(Shearer,  Hunt,  Chowdhury,  &  Nicol,  2015).  However,  some  research  suggests  that  

mental  distress  and  meditation  variables  have  been  analyzed,  which  point  to  several  

conclusions  regarding  stress  among  college  students  (Bhambhani  &  Cabral,  2016).  The  

aim  of  the  current  study  was  to  examine  how  mindfulness  meditation  influences  college  

students  stress  level  and  wellbeing.  The  study  examined  meditation  and  mindfulness  

interventions  for  college  students  experiencing  stress.    

Yoga  Practice  Intervention.    Starting  out  college  can  develop  common  anxiety  in  

many  students.  To  cope  with  their  anxiety,  college  students  often  turn  to  drugs  as  well  

as  binge  drinking  due  to  high  level  of  stress-­  whether  it’s  balancing  between  constant  

demands  of  coursework  at  school  to  complete  assignments  by  their  due  dates,  social  

events,  or  part-­time  jobs.  Being  surrounded  by  individuals  who  are  exposed  to  different  

types  of  substances,  peer  pressure  and  curiosity  are  also  important  factors  that  can  

contribute  to  high  rates  of  addiction  among  college  students.  Although  not  all  of  them  

start  abusing  drugs  and  excessive  drinking  immediately,  temptation  to  drink  can  elevate  

because  many  find  that  alcohol  makes  socializing  easier.  “The  literature  is  replete  with  
  
 
METHODS  TO  IMPROVE  STRESS  AMONG  COLLEGE  STUDENTS     3  
                           

information  from  various  disciplines  on  how  to  identify  and  intervene  in  this  public  health  

dilemma  impacting  college  students”  (Berent,G.,  Zeck,  Leischner,  &  Berent,  E.,  2014).  

For  as  long  as  one  can  remember,  Western  medicine  has  been  viewed  to  be  the  

leading  treatment  in  many  countries,  however,  Eastern  intervention  such  as  yoga  have  

shown  its  efficiency  and  effectiveness  to  improve  acute  and  chronic  illnesses  (Berent  et  

al.,  2014).  A  study  was  conducted  between  two  college  campuses  in  central  Illinois  for  

students,  faculty,  and  staff  to  evaluate  the  effectiveness  of  yoga.  “The  information  and  

evidence  of  yoga’s  benefits  collected  in  this  study  warrant  consideration  by  college  

campuses  to  initiate  this  practice  enhancing  primary,  secondary,  and  tertiary  prevention  

in  their  populations  (Berent  et  al.,  2014).  

  The  transition  from  adolescence  to  adulthood  can  be  very  challenging  for  college  

students.  This  period  is  a  time  where  many  move  away  from  home,  begin  to  make  new  

friends,  and  have  greater  financial  and  academic  responsibilities  to  fulfill.  Over  all,  these  

changes  lead  to  less  time  devoted  to  sleep,  increased  alcohol  consumption,  reduced  

academic  performance,  and  increased  rates  of  anxiety  and  depression  (Goldstein,  M.,  

Lewis,  G.,  and  Meleth,  S.  2016).  It  was  shown  in  young  adults  that  by  doing  a  three  step  

breathing  technique  called  Sudarshan  Kriya  Yoga,  there  were  significant  improvements  

in  their  levels  of  stress.  There  were  positive  psychological  and  physiological  outcomes  

of  this  breathing  technique  that  decreased  depression  and  anxiety,  posttraumatic  stress  

symptoms,  impulsivity,  tobacco  use,  as  well  as  increases  in  mental  focus,  emotional  

regulation,  and  overall  well-­being  (Goldstein,  M.,  Lewis,  G.,  and  Meleth,  S.  2016).  

  Sports  Intervention.  Due  to  the  vast  amount  of  young  people  that  experience  

immense  levels  of  stress,  sleep  deprivation,  anxiety  and  depression,  there  was  a  study  
  
 
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done  to  see  if  sport  and  dance  promoted  better  well-­being.  The  types  of  exercises  

mainly  revolved  around  meditative  practices  like  yoga,  but  also  included  body  

conditioning,  aerobic  exercise,  dance,  specific  sports,  body  conditioning,  ice  skating,  

and  Nintendo  Wii  Active  Games  (Mansfield,  L.,  Kay,  T.,  Meads,  C.,  et  al.  2018).  The  

results  were  inconclusive  and  the  evidence  did  not  make  it  possible  to  identify  such  

physical  activity  on  young  people’s  well-­being.  Although,  it  is  hypothesized  that  group-­

based  sports  and  dance  have  potential  to  improve  well-­being  (Mansfield,  L.,  Kay,  T.,  

Meads,  C.,  et  al.  2018).  There  was  not  enough  evidence  in  this  study  to  prove  that  

physical  activity  intervention  increased  mental  health  and  decreased  stress.  

Cognitive-­Based  programs.  College  students  and  working  adults  are  often  

exposed  to  stress  along  with  other  mental  health  complications  and  mindfulness-­based  

training  has  proven  to  be  effective  in  treating  psychological  and  physical  cases.  A  study  

examined  the  efficacy  of  an  Internet-­based  mindfulness  training  program  (iMIND)  

correlated  to  the  Internet-­based  cognitive-­behavioral  training  program  (iCBT)  in  

promoting  mental  health  among  college  students  and  young  working  adults  (Mak,  Chio,  

Chan,  Lui,  &  Wu,  2017).  The  study  was  a  randomized  controlled  trial  comparing  iMIND  

and  iCBT  where  participants  received  Web-­based  sessions  with  information  and  

exercises  related  to  mindfulness  or  cognitive-­behavioral  principles  (Mak  et  al.,  2017).  

Overall,  the  iMIND  and  the  iCBT  were  effective  in  cognitive  distress,  energy  level,  and  

improving  mental  health.    

Mindfulness  meditation  is  a  critical  tool  to  help  overcome  the  stress  of  college,  

although  it  is  often  overlooked.  As  students  are  entering  adulthood,  50%  report  

significant  levels  of  anxiety  and  depression  (Greeson,  Juberg,  Maytan,  James,  &  
  
 
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Rogers,  2014).  When  significant  stress  is  present,  the  effects  of  poor  mental  health  are  

exhibited  in  the  student’s  behavior,  including  difficulty  engaging  with  peers  on  campus,  

ignoring  personal  relationships,  and  struggling  academically.  According  to  Greeson,  

“mindfulness  meditation  training  has  been  shown  to  reduce  stress  and  improve  mood  

and  academic  performance  in  both  college  and  graduate  students”.  The  mind-­body  

skills  taught  by  mindfulness  meditation  can  help  the  students  implement  new  coping  

skills  for  their  anxiety  and  perceived  stress,  which  also  improves  the  motivation  for  

continual  self-­care  and  everyday  stress  management  (Greeson  et.  al,  2014).  Overall,  

mindfulness  significantly  improves  perceived  stress,  sleep  problems,  and  anxiety  

symptoms  in  college-­aged  students.    

Neuro-­cognitive  training.  Students  inevitably  experience  significant  stressors  

throughout  their  collegiate  years,  which  causes  high  anxiety  and  perceived  stress.  

Anxiety  is  present  when  there  is  prolonged  stress  or  multiple  stressors  present  at  once  

(Ratanasiripong,  P.,  Park,  Ratanasiripong,  N.,  &  Kathalae,  2015).  The  high  amounts  of  

anxiety  and  stress  on  the  students  can  cause  a  decline  in  academic  performance,  the  

student’s  health  and  overall  well-­being,  all  of  which  can  be  aided  by  mindfulness  

meditation.  Mindful  meditation  is  defined  as  a  process  of  focusing  one’s  mind  in  the  

present  moment,  maintaining  a  non-­judgmental  attitude,  and  detaching  oneself  from  

destructive  thoughts  or  ideas  (Ratanasiripong,  P.  et  al.,  2015).  The  mindfulness  

intervention  resulted  in  significantly  lower  anxiety  levels  and  perceived  stress,  

demonstrating  that  mindfulness  is  an  essential  coping  tool  for  students.  

 In  this  study  they  looked  at  the  cortisol  levels  associated  with  practicing  

meditation.  “There  is  accumulating  evidence  indicating  that  cortisol  levels  decrease  
  
 
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following  participation  in  stress  reduction  programs,  such  as  yoga,  mindfulness  based  

stress  reduction  and  cognitive  behavioral  stress  management  (Tang,  Fan,  Posner,  

2013).  With  this  study  not  only  did  they  have  meditation,  but  they  also  included  different  

techniques  with  the  meditation.  “Integrative  body-­mind  training  involves  several  body-­

mind  techniques  including  body  relaxation,  mental  imagery  and  mindfulness  training,  

accompanied  with  selected  background  music  (Tang  et  al.,  2013).  The  cortisol  levels  

were  taken  before  and  after  session  of  training  by  collecting  participants  saliva.  “Before  

training,  saliva  samples  were  collected  to  obtain  baseline  data.  After  2  and  4  weeks  of  

training,  saliva  samples  were  collected  repeatedly  before  the  stress,  immediately  after  

the  stress  and  immediately  after  additional  20  minute  practice  (Tang  et  al.,  2013).    

Mindfulness.  College  students  deal  with  a  great  deal  of  stress  and  it  is  important  

for  them  to  learn  coping  mechanisms  in  order  to  deal  with  that  stress.  Various  studies  

have  been  conducted  that  show  the  practice  of  meditation  and  mindfulness  can  lower  

stress  levels,  improve  mental  health,  prevent  and  help  depression,  along  with  other  

benefits.  Research  by  Bhambhani  and  Cabral  (2015)  supports  the  positive  relationship  

between  mindfulness  and  psychological  distress.  They  stated  that  “mindfulness  and  

non-­attachment  are  independent  predictors  of  nonclinical  psychological  distress”  

(Bhambhani  &  Cabral,  2015).  The  participants  included  308  students  and  employees  at  

a  primarily  Caucasian  university.  The  study  claims  that  evidence  shows  a  positive  

correlation  between  mindfulness  and  mental  health  stating  that  there  is  an  “indelible  

relationship  between  mindfulness  and  mental  health”  (Bhambhani  &  Cabral,  2015).    

Implementing  mindfulness-­based  interventions  (MBIs)  among  college  students  

(Rojiani,  Santoyo,  Rahrig,  Roth,  &  Britton,  2017).  The  study  showed  that  MBI  has  
  
 
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helped  to  treat  recurrent  depression  and  prevent  depression  disorder.  Furthermore,  they  

claim  that  MBI’s  can  be  most  successful  if  they  make  gender-­specific  modifications  to  

the  intervention  (Rojiani  et  al.,  2017).  Thus,  mindfulness  and  meditation  can  help  both  

genders  but  is  most  helpful  when  the  MBI  is  geared  towards  each  a  specific  gender.    

Being  mindful  and  the  use  of  meditation  is  a  great  stress  reliever  for  college  

students.  “It  has  been  shown  to  be  correlated  with  a  number  of  positive  traits,  including  

openness  to  experience,  emotional  intelligence,  self-­esteem,  optimism,  positive  affect,  

life  satisfaction,  self-­compassion,  vitality,  self-­actualization,  autonomy,  competence,  and  

relatedness  fulfillment  (Shearer,  Hunt,  Chowdhury,  &  Nicol,  2015).  The  goal  of  

mindfulness  meditation  is  to  have  an  overall  better  quality  of  life.  “Overall,  meta-­analysis  

suggest  that  mindfulness  training  produces  moderate  to  large  effect  sizes  of  measures  

of  mental  and  physical  health,  anxiety,  depression,  and  quality  of  life  in  both  clinical  and  

nonclinical  samples  (Shearer  et  al.,  2015).  This  particular  study  showed  that  the  group  

that  was  getting  mindfulness  training  were  able  to  cope  with  stress  better.  “In  addition,  

mindfulness  training  also  reduces  stress  in  nonclinical  college  populations  (Shearer  et  

al.,  2015).  The  study  also  concluded  that  with  using  mindfulness  methods,  a  person’s  

heart  rate  was  positively  impacted.  “Similarly,  Mankus  and  colleagues  (2013)  examined  

the  relationship  between  HRV  and  mindfulness  in  the  context  of  generalized  anxiety,  

and  found  that  mindfulness  was  positively  correlated  with  HRV  (Shearer  et  at.,  2015).  

Conclusion  

  Students  face  significant  stress  in  college  and  are  oftentimes  flooded  with  

different  types  of  distractions  that  can  prevent  them  from  focusing  on  the  tasks  they  

need  to  finish.  By  incorporating  meditation  and  mindfulness  into  daily  routines,  they  are  
  
 
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both  great  ways  for  students  to  improve  their  health  as  well  as  their  focus,  personally  

and  academically.  Due  to  the  greater  financial  and  academic  responsibilities  they  must  

fulfill,  it  can  lead  to  sleep  deprivation,  increased  alcohol  intake,  and  increased  rates  of  

anxiety  and  depression.  Several  studies  have  shown  the  improvements  that  meditation  

and  mindfulness  has  had  students  and  by  practicing  these,  students  can  improve  their  

overall  well-­being.    

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
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