Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of Koru, a mindfulness training program for college students and other emerging adults. Participants Ninety students (66% female, 62% white, 71% graduate students) participated between Fall 2012 and Spring 2013. Methods Randomized controlled trial. We hypothesized that Koru, compared to a wait-list control group, would reduce perceived stress and sleep problems, and increase mindfulness, self-compassion, and gratitude. Results As hypothesized, results showed significant Group (Koru, wait-list) X Time (pre, post) interactions for improvements in perceived stress (F=4.50, df [1, 76.40], p=.037, d=.45), sleep problems (F= 4.71, df [1,79.49], p=.033, d=.52), mindfulness (F=26.80, df [1, 79.09], p<.001, d=.95), and self-compassion (F=18.08, df [1, 74.77], p<.001, d=.75). All significant effects were replicated in the wait-list group. Significant correlations were observed among changes in perceived stress, sleep problems, mindfulness, and self-compassion. Conclusions Results support the effectiveness of the Koru program for emerging adults in the university setting.

CME Educational Objectives 1. Discuss the interplay between stress and resilience. 2. Describe the unique characteristics of emerging adulthood. 3. Describe the beneficial effect of mindfulness training on resilience. Resilience, the ability to recover psychologically from stressful or traumatic events, is often discussed in the psychiatric literature in terms of an individual’s ability to recover from significant trauma. Much of the information about what builds or inhibits an individual’s resilience is based on research on people who have survived severe traumas or on animal models of severe trauma. However, in the world of college counseling, the emphasis is slightly different. Although there are certainly a number of college students presenting to student counseling centers who have survived horrific challenges, a much more common presentation is the student who is having trouble adapting to more-routine life events, such as failing in academic endeavors or being rejected by a love interest. Helping emerging adults (EAs) build the resilience they need to manage their day-to-day stresses is one of the core challenges for clinicians working with college students.

Although there is much interest in teaching mindfulness to college students and other emerging adults, traditional methods of teaching mindfulness and meditation are not always effective for reaching this age group. Koru is a program, developed at Duke University, that has been specifically designed with the developmental characteristics of emerging adults in mind.

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