Effects of a mindfulness course on vital signs and five facet mindfulness questionnaire scores of college students

Abstract

Objective: This study examined the effects of a college mindfulness course on vital-signs and Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) scores. Participants: Two independent groups of 20 students were enrolled in the mindfulness course during the Fall 2018 (Trial 1) and Spring 2019 (Trial 2) semesters. Methods: Blood pressure, heart rate, and respiration rate were recorded before and after in-class mindfulness meditations several times throughout each semester. FFMQ scores were recorded at the beginning and conclusion of each semester. Results: Statistical analyses indicated that 20 minutes of mindfulness meditation significantly decreased respiration rate (both trials) and heart rate (Trial 2) for female students. There were significant changes in the FFMQ mean scores for “non-react,” “observe,” “act aware,” and “non-judge.” Conclusions: These results suggest that mindfulness meditation may be beneficial for students to enhance their well-being. Recommendations are provided to further examine the implications of consistent mindfulness practices for college students.

Keywords:

• College students
• FFMQ
• mindfulness meditation
• university course
• vitals

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to William Hupp for allowing us to carry out this study in his mindfulness course, and to the BGSU IRB for approving this research project. This study was supported by BGSU funding to MGB.

Conflict of interest disclosure

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report. The authors confirm that the research presented in this article met the ethical guidelines, including adherence to the legal requirements, of the United States of America and received approval from the Institutional Review Board of Bowling Green State University.

Funding

No funding was used to support this research and/or the preparation of the manuscript.