A Pilot Study of an Online MBCTA daptation to Enhance Mental Healthin University Students

Abstract

University students are particularly vulnerable to mental health problems due to factors like stage of the lifespan and high academic pressure. The current study aimed to assess the feasibility and effectiveness of the online version of the Mindfulness-and-Compassion-Based Program (MCBP) for University Life, a promising 6-week instructor-led mindfulness and compassion-based program tailored for university students. Changes in well-being were significantly correlated with changes in self-compassion and decentering. Changes in psychological distress were significantly correlated with changes in self-critical rumination levels. This online intervention could be feasible and effective for enhancing mental health among university students. However, additional robust research with a larger sample size plus a control group is needed to further validate these outcomes. The study was not registered in a clinical trials registry, as it was designed as a pilot feasibility study.