Experience of First-Year College Students With Mindfulness as a Stress Reduction–Based Intervention

• In Event: Exploring Processes of Implementation and Influence of Mindfulness Programs in Education

Abstract

College years have always been stressful for students on several levels, social, emotional, and academic (Towbes & Cohen, 1996). Repeated exposure to stress along with maladaptive coping behaviors may negatively impact students’ wellbeing and detract from their over-all college experience (DeBerard, Spielmans, & Julka, 2004; McEwen & Stellar, 1993; Wichianson, Bughi, Unger, & Spruijt-Metz, 2009). Colleges try to address such issues by promoting positive adaptive skills and social and emotional skills through various interventions, resource centers, and well-being health classes. Some colleges have implemented programs with mindfulness-based practices to foster healthy lifestyles (Shapiro et al., 2011). Thus, Research on the most effective programs to support student wellbeing has become a necessity.
In this study, we investigate the experiences of a group of students with Just BREATHE, an eight-session voluntary mindfulness-based wellness program delivered to first year college students at a large research university. There have been several quantitative studies that show the positive and potentially lasting effects of mindfulness implementation on various aspects of students’ well-being (Caldwell, et al., 2010; Mathew et al., 2010; Greenberg, 2010; Coatsworth et al., 2014). However, the literature base lacks rigorous investigations into how students experience and perceive aspects of a mindfulness program and how it affects their wellbeing. This qualitative study proposes to trace the influence of mindfulness program implementation on a group of college students. The specific research questions are:
1. What are the experiences of the college students with the mindfulness program?
2. How do students describe the influence “Just BREATHE” has on their overall wellbeing?
This study extends and builds on a large, multi-year study that examines how the Just BREATHE program impacts students’ daily experiences of mindfulness, emotion regulation, and interpersonal interactions. From the 100 students who volunteered for the Just BREATHE program, we have randomly selected a sample of 22 participating students for either pre/post focus group interviews or individual interviews.
All the interviews were digitally recorded and analyzed using open coding in the tradition of basic interpretive qualitative study (Merriam, 2002). This approach involves collecting data through interviews, observations, focus groups or data documents. The analysis involves identifying patterns or common themes. This framework fits our study as we examine the participants’ experiences of Just BREATHE program and allows the flexibility for themes to emerge from the data during the iterative process of collection and analysis.
The experiences students had with Just BREATHE were positive overall. Students mentioned several stressors in their lives that were related to their new freshman lives. Living up to expectations of others, the academic demands of the classes, the competitiveness among their cohorts, their perceptions of others judging their actions and behaviors, were all examples of stressors that the students found affected their day-to-day lives. Four general themes emerged during the interview questions:
(a) positive relationships with others , (b) acceptance and emotional control , (c) a return to being more “me”, and (d) organization and commitment to healthy well-being.

Authors

• Julia Mahfouz, The Pennsylvania State University

• Joseph Levitan, The Pennsylvania State University

• Deborah L. Schussler, The Pennsylvania State University - University Park

• Nikolaus Barkauskas, The Pennsylvania State University

• Mark T. Greenberg, The Pennsylvania State University