A Survey on the Impact of Mindfulness Practices on Stress Reduction among University Students

Abstract

Stress is a modern epidemic among university students in all over the world. Student stress can be attributed to the academic environment in which students are required to master a wide range of topics, meet the demands of their professors, cope with their family responsibilities, develop their social life, take part in extracurricular activities, be engaged in part-time or even full-time job, decide on their future career options, and make major life decisions. The recent trend in managing stress among this population is the practice of mindfulness. Therefore, the current study aimed to explore the ways university students attempt to manage stress, the levels of stress, and the association between stress and mindfulness practice. A descriptive survey methodology was used, and a self-developed questionnaire, the Mindfulness Practice Questionnaire (MPQ) and the adopted version of Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). The current study involved 50 participants. The results indicated that students experience moderate to high stress levels mostly due to their academic tasks and instructional assignments. The participants who practice mindfulness reported less stress than those who do not practice mindfulness. A negative significant correlation was also found between mindfulness practice and stress. The results are supported by the available research indicating that mindfulness is the most effective strategy for achieving a state of emotional regulation that enhances cognitive engagement and deeper learning. This paper stresses the importance of incorporating mindfulness-based interventions into teacher training programs to improve the mental health and professionalism of future educators.