Studying the Impact of Neurofeedback-Guided Meditation on Undergraduates’ Perceived Stress

• In Event: Interventions to Boost Resilience

Abstract

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, there continues to be a prevalence of psychological distress
among college students. Meditation practice as a non-traditional mental health intervention has
shown promising outcomes. During this pilot study, we investigated the perceived stress levels
and experiences of 24 psychology undergraduate students at a Research 1 university using a
commercially available neurofeedback device that provided guided mindfulness meditation.
Data were collected on participants’ pre-and-post perceived stress levels using Qualtrics, and
focus groups were conducted. Self-reported stress ratings were significantly lower after a single
session with the device (n=23), despite several participants reporting that the neurofeedback was
distracting. Female participants also demonstrated more recoveries from a distracted to a calm
state.

Authors

• Steven Haberlin, University of Central Florida

• Michele G. Gill, University of Central Florida

• Valerie Sims, University of Central Florida

• Megan K. Mitchell, Valdosta State University

• Marika Koch, University of Central Florida

• Colleen Grillo, University of Central Florida