A pilot study of an online MBCT adaptation to enhance mental health in university students

University students are particularly vulnerable to mental health problems due to factors like stage of the life span 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 Unive...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Martínez-Rubio, David|||0000-0002-9346-3869, Rodríguez Freire, Carla|||0009-0006-6728-5778, Navarrete Hidalgo, Jaime|||0000-0002-9482-4822, Colomer Pérez, Natura|||0000-0002-5973-9876, Escamilla Robla, Cristina|||0000-0002-7195-2063, Solé, Sílvia|||0000-0001-6960-5364, Moreno Sigüenza, Yolanda|||0000-0002-1810-7282, Montero-Marín, Jesús|||0000-0001-5677-1662, Luciano, Juan Vicente|||0000-0003-0750-1599
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2026
País:España
Institución:Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Repositorio:Dipòsit Digital de Documents de la UAB
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:dnet:uabarcelona_::8096a86c2b807d4fe54b1df60d754dd0
Acceso en línea:https://ddd.uab.cat/record/326868
https://dx.doi.org/urn:doi:10.1155/ppc/4510737
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:MBCT
Mindfulness
Online
Students
University
Descripción
Sumario:University students are particularly vulnerable to mental health problems due to factors like stage of the life span 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. The study followed an uncontrolled design. A total of 21 higher education students (76.2% women; 25 ± 5.68 years old) from the European University of Valencia (Spain) participated in the study. Participants were assessed with self-report measures at baseline, at the end of the 6-week intervention, and at 6-month follow-up. Participants engaged well with the course and formal home practice, attending at least 5 sessions and meditating nearly 4 days per week. There were significant improvements in well-being, psychological distress, insomnia, self-compassion, mindfulness skills, decentering, and self-critical rumination. All those changes remained significant at follow-up except for insomnia levels. 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.