Background
Methods
Participants
Recruitment
The mindfulness-based college intervention
Interview procedures
Interview guide
Data analysis
Results
Participants/demographics
aOverall (n = 14) | |
---|---|
Mean Age, years | 24.8 (4.03) |
Current Gender Identitya | |
Female | 11 (78.6%) |
Male | 3 (21.4%) |
Race/Ethnicitya | |
African American/Black | 2 (14.3%) |
Cape Verde | 1 (7.1%) |
Caucasian/White | 8 (57.1%) |
Latino/Hispanic | 2 (14.3%) |
Southeast Asian | 1 (7.1%) |
Sexual Orientationa | |
Bisexual | 1 (7.1%) |
Gay | 3 (21.4%) |
Straight | 10 (71.4%) |
Academic Yeara | |
1 | 3 (21.4%) |
2 | 1 (7.1%) |
3 | 4 (28.6%) |
4 | 2 (14.3%) |
5 | 4 (28.6%) |
First Generation Studenta | |
Yes | 6 (42.9%) |
No | 7 (50.0%) |
N/A | 1 (7.1%) |
Aims & Themes | Codes | Example Quotes |
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Aim 1: Explore the Application of Mindfulness Practices in Students’ Daily Lives | ||
Theme 1. The most used practices are those that could be integrated into daily life. | Mindfulness practices outside of class Mindful Walking Mindful Eating | “I’m not used to just like to stop and be mindful while I’m eating. I just like go through and eat it as quick as possible to eat something. So, I can now acknowledge that I can, like, take the time enjoy the food.” (P756, male) “I feel like most days you just walk, to walk, you have to get to one place or you’re going somewhere you’re talking so you don’t really like think about the actual movement and break it down. So, kind of just like taking yourself…like to slow down. I think that that was really cool and just something that like I guess I’ve never really focused on before.” (P540, female) |
Theme 2. Students often applied mindfulness to existing behaviors and activities. | Mindfulness enhances existing routine Daily Practice | “It [the program] made me realize that you can mindfully do things, even when you’re working, and I found that very calming. And it helped me not to be so stressed, so like mindfully brushing my teeth every morning and every night. It helps me realize and be grateful for the things around me as well.” (P213, female) “Even when I was like in the shower I’d be like “Ok I’m washing my hair” I would say like talk to myself out loud like “Ok I’m washing my hair, I’m washing my body, I’m shaving my legs, I’m shaving my right leg, I’m shaving my left leg”, like go through everything, and … just like really pay attention to what I was doing.” (003, female) |
Theme 3. Mindfulness increased students’ engagement activities motivated by self-care. | Engaging in self-care | “It really emphasized or made me realize that like I actually need to take care of my mental well-being. Because, like, a few months ago, or like last year coming into this year I had that mentality that mental health does not exist if I’m physically well then, I’m good. But taking this course and made me realize that in order for me to be even more productive I need to be mentally well as well and I need to set boundaries.” (P213, female) |
Aim 2: Explore how participants believe mindfulness training affected their health and well-being | ||
Theme 1. Mindfulness was used most often to cope with an array of stressors. | Overall stress management Stressful living situation Anxiety Self-kindness | “I use it during the exam actually…final exams. You know, it’s a stressful time and me personally, I’m the kind of person to study. A lot. And then when the test comes, I forget things, but before one of my exams. I just did like a deep breathing exercise and it kind of helped me to just boost my confidence and just relax.” (P203, female) “This was my first time commuting from school so that was a really hard experience for me just because I don’t have the best home life and for a while I kind of just tried to push that in the back of my mind. But rough these meditations I actually kind of reached a point where I acknowledged just how unstable I felt living at home. And that was something that through the mindfulness courses I just kind of acknowledged and I realized that I needed to take mindful action.” (001, female) |
Theme 2. Mindfulness practices help to handle COVID-19 specific stress. | COVID-19 related stress | “Probably just with school and work because it’s been like really hard doing everything online. But just knowing that I can use this practice as a way to help coach has really helped me get through day-to-day tasks and anything pertaining to schoolwork.” (P533, female) “I just started working at a hospital. So, there are times where it can get really hectic. A lot of things going on at once and breathing exercises just helped me to calm down in the moment and just, you know, handle whatever it is that’s going on at the time. That’s one of the most recent things that I’ve been doing.” (P203, female) |
Theme 3. Mindfulness enhanced stress coping by increasing the ability to acceptance of the present moment and let go of the experience to move forward. | Letting go Acceptance Lower self-criticism Non-judgment | “I used to just like “oh my gosh” and just shut down and cry or have an anxiety attack and now I’m like genuinely “it’s out of my control” I’m going to do what I can do and… like… I don’t even freak out anymore which is amazing. So, my anxiety levels have definitely gone down.” (002, female) “I realized that I need to accept what is. And I need to take mindful action in order to you know, feel more secure with myself. And there were multiple instances where I had certain things arise where I realized that I just need to think upon and rather than just feel like anxiety I decided to take more of a mindful approach to it. In my situation. (001, female) |
Theme 4. Students also believe mindfulness enhanced resilience, especially for those with existing mental health conditions. | Resilience Mindfulness enhances recovery Increased patience | “I had a depression like screening and conference call with my primary care. And I’ve had the past two anti-depressants that I’ve been on I’ve been allergic to, and even with that she’s even like she even noticed today. She’s like, you see much more chipper and things like that. So, I feel like I have like a more positive outlook on things, and I don’t let everything else going on around me that I can’t really control, control me anymore.” (P344, female) “So, if I’m going into a sit-down meal already really anxious because I have anorexia so, I’m like well into my recovery now, or trying to be, but if I go into a meal and I’m already stressed out about it, like freaking out internally and it’s a challenge meal those are super highly stressful situations for me. And just breathing and like even stopping to think back and like meditating to get through it has helped me a lot.” (P002, female) |
Theme 5. Mindfulness was critical for grounding themselves during difficult experiences as well as enhancing the value of positive experiences. | Grounding Mind-Body awareness Gratitude | “So just moving forward I think this course is super helpful and just being able to acknowledge what is and acknowledging when you’ve put in all your efforts and you just have to do some more self-work, self-reflection and just to put that energy into just grounding yourself through mindfulness.” (001, female) “I’m learning to recognize, you know, like maybe anxiousness or overwhelmed-ness but being able to channel into deep breathing or focusing on the moment, the present moment, whether that be, you know, noticing or looking around and seeing five things you see or things you hear, you know, using your senses to get in touch with where you are at that time, that’s been really helpful to me to calm my anxiousness.” (206, female) |
Aim 3: Recommendations for Future Mindfulness Interventions | ||
Theme 1. Social support is generated during in-person meetings so in-person more preferred method of delivery. | Class critiques Instructor comments | “To be able to go to a community where I can like get other insights and opinions and like share the experience with other people. So, I don’t think that the, I don’t think that doing it online would be very effective. Just because you don’t really get that personal like interaction you know. Like you don’t get that sense of community.” (003, female) To give a specific example. The meditation aspect. In person versus when we were digital. It was just easier to focus when we’re all together in a quiet room, um, you know, that may not necessarily be accessible to someone at home over Zoom, I guess. (P206, female) |
Theme 2. A split class format would fit into schedules more effectively but could be difficult for those who commute. | Course structure and delivery | “It just allows for people to attend rather than say we have a 2.5-hour class where that may cut into someone’s time elsewhere or like another class or like an appointment or just different things that people can have going on in a two-and-a-half-hour gap, rather than a one-and-a-half-hour gap.” (P206, female) “If it were at the beginning and at the end of the week it’s kind of would allow for more reflection and it’s sometimes easy to forget like if you’re doing like the reflections in the workbook or like logging certain things like we had to do throughout the program that was kind of difficult because a week is a long time. And it’s easy for me to forget a lot of things that I did. But if it were twice a week that would be easier.” (002, female) |
Exploring the application of mindfulness practices in students’ daily lives
Theme 1. The most used practices are those that could be integrated into daily life
I’m not used to just like to stop and be mindful while I’m eating. I just like go through and eat it as quick as possible to eat something. So, I can now acknowledge that I can, like, take the time enjoy the food. (P756, male).
I feel like most days you just walk, to walk, you have to get to one place or you’re going somewhere you’re talking so you don’t really like think about the actual movement and break it down. So, kind of just like taking yourself…like to slow down. I think that that was really cool and just something that like I guess I’ve never really focused on before. (P540, female).
I found the physical part very helpful because I even discovered on my own, you know recently that working out and exercising can really play a big role in mindfulness. (P533, female).
Physical activity and, and just now with this whole COVID thing and like not being able to go to the gym and the lack of exercising I focused on physical activity. Because I have not been able to do it so often as I would like to because of not being able to go to the gym. So just finding different methods, like going around my neighborhood, and going for a jog, you know, or either like walking my dog or you know those aspects to just try to like motivate me to like keep going you know keep focusing on physical activity. (P176, Female).
Theme 2. Students often applied mindfulness to existing behaviors and activities
If I’m doing a reading for like one of my other like normal classes and it’s some research paper and it’s not super exciting like just reading that and focusing on the actual like words as well as sort of the bigger picture like content, like, what has this paper said so far, like in the last three pages. And then just sort of notice when my mind drifts off for like one sentence brings up something it makes me think of something else, just like notice that, and then come back to the reading. (P433, male).
It [the program] made me realize that you can mindfully do things, even when you’re working and I found that very calming. And it helped me not to be so stressed, so like mindfully brushing my teeth every morning and every night. It helps me realize and be grateful for the things around me as well. (P213, female).
Theme 3. Mindfulness increased students’ engagement in activities motivated by self-care
Being a college student and then going through all those new environmental changes and adaptations that you have to make regarding academic work. I think that implementing meditation and just deep breathing and taking time out of your week and I tried to actually do it daily, once I started doing this class. I tried to do at least just some like deep breathing and have some time for like quiet time just for myself, to kind of distress and like break up my weekend and reset. (P540, female).
It really emphasized or made me realize that like I actually need to take care of my mental well-being. Because, like, a few months ago, or like last year coming into this year I had that mentality that mental health does not exist if I’m physically well then I’m good. But taking this course and made me realize that in order for me to be even more productive I need to be mentally well as well and I need to set boundaries. (P213, female).
Understanding how students believe mindfulness training affected their health and well-being
Theme 1. Mindfulness was used most often to cope with an array of stressors
Like to just be able to be in the present has enabled me to you know stop looking at the past, stop worrying about the future, stop stressing out. Just to be more focus oriented. I had some exams coming up and like being able to only focus on studying and doing it mindfully has enabled me to improve my GPA and to be also able to have more control over my emotions. (P004, female).
I use it during the exam actually…final exams. You know, it’s a stressful time and me personally, I’m the kind of person to study. A lot. And then when the test comes, I forget things, but before one of my exams I just did like a deep breathing exercise and it kind of helped me to just boost my confidence and just relax. (P203, female).
I’m supposed to work from a certain time period. But if people are emailing me at like 11 PM before I would like respond right away. But I realized that “No, I don’t think that’s healthy” working till like 11 or 12 and I can respond the next day, and that’s why: because that time is for me and I need to restore and reset. […] So this course it made me realize that you can mindfully do things, even when you’re working and I found that very calming. (213, female).
This was my first time commuting from school so that was a really hard experience for me just because I don’t have the best home life and for a while I kind of just tried to push that in the back of my mind. But through these meditations I actually kind of reached a point where I acknowledged just how unstable I felt living at home. And that was something that through the mindfulness courses I just kind of acknowledged and I realized that I needed to take mindful action. (001, female).
Theme 2. Mindfulness practices help to handle COVID-19 specific stress
I work in healthcare. So work is really stressful overall, there’s just probably not a day I don’t feel stressed after work and tense because there’s just so much going on and everything is so chaotic. So that [mindfulness practices] would be like a way I just try to use those techniques to help deal with stress and anxiety from like after work or from, like, a fight with like a friend or like a significant partner or like a breakup, like it’s just it’s good to learn about these things to help you… your own self deal with things. (P832).
It’s been like really hard doing everything online. But just knowing that I can use this [mindfulness] practice as a way to help cope has really helped me get through day-to-day tasks and anything pertaining to schoolwork. (P533, female).
I’ve had a lot of concussions in my life. So, looking at a computer screen constantly was becoming a severe issue for me. So, where I was looking at the computer from probably nine o’clock in the morning till nine o’clock at night and getting maybe a half hour break in between and it’s something that I couldn’t really control at that point. That’s what life had done. I contacted like Disability Services and explained and was able to modify some of my assignments where my professors would have to send me hard copies, rather than taking the quiz online. I would have to take the quiz; they would send me the hard copy and things like that. So that allowed me to like kind of take the step back. (P344, female).
Theme 3. Mindfulness enhanced stress coping by increasing the ability to acceptance of the present moment and let go of the experience to move forward
I used to just like “oh my gosh” and just shut down and cry or have an anxiety attack and now I’m like genuinely “it’s out of my control” I’m going to do what I can do and… like… I don’t even freak out anymore which is amazing. So, my anxiety levels have definitely gone down. (002, female).
That was one situation where I realized that I need to accept what is. And I need to take mindful action in order to you know, feel more secure with myself. And there were multiple instances where I had certain things arise where I realized that I just need to think upon and rather than just feel like anxiety I decided to take more of a mindful approach to it. In my situation. (001, female).
Theme 4. Students also believe mindfulness enhanced resilience, especially for those with existing mental health conditions
It was one of those things where I acknowledged that I would have to go through this for longer. And sometimes it’s hard especially when you acknowledge something that doesn’t feel comfortable because then you still have to kind of live through it. And sometimes it’s just easier to not think about it. But because I was mindful because I was aware that I had to live on campus for the rest of the semester, but I did take the action knowing that my future can be changed. And that it doesn’t have to be permanent. (P001, female).
And just breathing and like even stopping to think back and like meditating to get through it has helped me a lot. Like before I would just freak out. I would shut down and I would just feel so defeated and have no confidence in myself. And now I kind of just allow myself to be here and be present and it’s ok to feel all of those things but like there are ways that I have now. (P002, female).
I had a depression like screening and conference call with my primary care. And I’ve had the past two anti-depressants that I’ve been on I’ve been allergic to, and even with that she’s even like she even noticed today. She’s like, you see much more chipper and things like that. So I feel like I have like a more positive outlook on things and I don’t let everything else going on around me that I can’t really control, control me anymore. I kind of take a step back and look at things from a different perspective and just try to stay in the moment and breathe and like I said, like if I can’t control it there’s no use really and stressing about it. (P344, female).
Theme 5. Mindfulness was critical for grounding themselves during difficult experiences as well as enhancing the value of positive experiences
I’m learning to recognize, you know, like maybe anxiousness or overwhelmed-ness but being able to channel into deep breathing or focusing on the moment, the present moment, whether that be, you know, noticing or looking around and seeing five things you see or things you hear, you know, using your senses to get in touch with where you are at that time, that’s been really helpful to me to calm my anxiousness. (206, female).
Things are more enjoyable when I focus on them. And I also do them better. (P466, male).
Being aware of the small things in life. We usually don’t pay attention. So even sensations or sounds there’s something there we can be aware of. So, they’re like really important. So now when I go outside and it’s sunny, I stop for a moment and just look at the sun and just feel the warmth on my skin and just try to take a deep breath and engage in the moment, within nature, just to feel alive. (P756, male).
Recommendations for future mindfulness interventions
Theme 1. Social support is generated during in-person meetings so in-person was the more preferred method of delivery
To be able to go to a community where I can like get other insights and opinions and like share the experience with other people. So, I don’t think that the, I don’t think that doing it online would be very effective. Just because you don’t really get that personal like interaction you know? Like you don’t get that sense of community. (003, female).
When you’re in the presence of others and you’re able to see everyone’s faces more clearly and assess how they’re breathing, how they’re acting if they’re fidgeting stuff like that. In person, you can see a lot more about someone’s body language and understand how they’re feeling and be able to empathize with them and the response of the instructor is a little bit better. It’s a little less, less poised when you’re in-person. And I think when you have that atmosphere being in-person, the just the raw body language that you get out of everything. Everyone gets a better experience. (223, female).
It would probably take away from the program if it was completely digital. And I just really value like having the like in-person type setting. I think that’s kind of what grounded me throughout this program and that’s what motivated me to continue with it in like setting goals. (P001, female).
Online is more difficult, especially like if you’re using zoom at home just finding a comfortable spot and I feel like you can’t really connect with everybody around you on webcam versus in-person. (P540, female).
Theme 2. A split class format would fit into schedules more effectively but could be difficult for those who commute
It just allows for people to attend rather than say we have a 2.5 hour class where that may cut into someone’s time elsewhere or like another class or like an appointment or just different things that people can have going on in a two and a half hour gap, rather than a one and a half hour gap. (P206, female).
Having two classes a week might be a little, or two classes that are shorter and time might be a little bit easier and I think that also when you presented this course to some of the other people in my first year seminar class. I know a lot of people signed up for it on like the clipboard. But no, not a lot of people actually ended up going because some people knew that two and a half hours that they weren’t gonna be able to fit that into their schedules. (P540, male).