BackgroundDistress and burnout among medical and psychology professionals are commonly reported and have implications for the quality of patient care delivered. Already in the course of university studies, medicine and psychology students report mental distress and low life satisfaction. There is a need for interventions that promote better coping skills in students in order to prevent distress and future burnout. This study examines the effect of a seven-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) programme on mental distress, study stress, burnout, subjective well-being, and mindfulness of medical and psychology students.MethodsA total of 288 students (mean age = 23 years, 76% female) from the University of Oslo and the University of Tromsø were randomly allocated to an intervention or control group. The control group continued with their standard university courses and received no intervention. Participants were evaluated using self-reported measures both before and after the intervention. These were: the ‘General Health Questionnaire, Maslach Burnout Inventory Student version, Perceived Medical School Stress, Subjective Well-being, and Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire’ and additional indices of compliance.ResultsFollowing the intervention, a moderate effect on mental distress (Hedges’g 0.65, CI = .41, .88), and a small effect on both subjective well-being (Hedges’g 0.40, CI = .27, .63) and the mindfulness facet ‘non-reacting’ (Hedges’g 0.33, CI = .10, .56) were found in the intervention group compared with the control group. A higher level of programme attendance and reported mindfulness exercises predicted these changes. Significant effects were only found for female students who additionally reported reduced study stress and an increase in the mindfulness facet ‘non-judging’. Gender specific effects of participation in the MBSR programme have not previously been reported, and gender differences in the present study are discussed.ConclusionFemale medical and psychology students experienced significant positive improvements in mental distress, study stress, subjective well-being and mindfulness after participating in the MBSR programme.Trial registrationNCT00892138

Mind‐body interventions to manage stress‐related health problems are of widespread interest. One of the best known methods is mindfulness‐based stress reduction (MBSR), and MBSR courses are now offered by health services, as well as in social and welfare settings. In this systematic review, we report on the effects of MBSR interventions on health, quality of life, and social functioning. From the more than 3,000 potentially relevant references identified in two extensive searches, we included 31 relevant studies with an overall total of 1,942 participants, each of whom had been randomised to receive MBSR or other treatment strategies (most often a waiting list control). We utilised all outcome data published in the selected studies using a new statistical method for calculating the effect size. This method addressed the problems presented by the interdependence of many measurements of outcomes. 26 of the 31 studies were identified as having data suitable for meta‐analysis. MBSR was found to have a moderate and consistent positive effect on mental health outcomes in both patients selected with somatic problems and with mild to moderate psychological problems, and among participants recruited from community settings. MBSR interventions improved outcomes measuring different aspects of personal development and quality of life. The effects on somatic health outcomes were somewhat smaller. No adverse effects were described. Few studies were found that evaluated the impact of MBSR on social functioning, such as the ability to work. Key messages Mind‐body interventions to manage stress‐related health problems are of widespread interest. One of the best known methods is mindfulness‐based stress reduction (MBSR), and MBSR courses are now offered by health services, as well as in social and welfare settings. In this systematic review, we report on the effects of MBSR interventions on health, quality of life, and social functioning. From the more than 3,000 potentially relevant references identified in two extensive searches, we included 31 relevant studies with an overall total of 1,942 participants, each of whom had been randomised to receive MBSR or other treatment strategies (most often a waiting list control). We utilised all outcome data published in the selected studies using a new statistical method for calculating the effect size. This method addressed the problems presented by the interdependence of many measurements of outcomes. 26 of the 31 studies were identified as having data suitable for meta‐analysis. MBSR was found to have a moderate and consistent positive effect on mental health outcomes in both patients selected with somatic problems and with mild to moderate psychological problems, and among participants recruited from community settings. MBSR interventions improved outcomes measuring different aspects of personal development and quality of life. The effects on somatic health outcomes were somewhat smaller. No adverse effects were described. Few studies were found that evaluated the impact of MBSR on so...

The majority of mindfulness research to date has reported only on the group-level effects of interventions. Therefore, there is a need to better understand who is most likely to benefit from mindfulness interventions. This study reports on moderation analyses from a two-centre randomised controlled trial of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) among 288 medical and psychology students. The study investigated whether baseline personality factors (neuroticism, conscientiousness and extroversion) and baseline mindfulness moderated effects on mental distress, study stress and subjective well-being measured after the intervention. An increased effect of the intervention on mental distress and subjective well-being was found in students with higher scores on neuroticism. Students with higher scores on conscientiousness showed an increased effect of mindfulness training on study stress. The training protected students against an increase in mental distress and study stress and a decrease in subjective well-being that was seen in the control group. Baseline mindfulness and extroversion did not moderate the effects of the intervention on the outcomes. The majority of the 288 medical and psychology students in the study sample were female. Female participants scored significantly higher on neuroticism and conscientiousness, and they may therefore be an important target group for mindfulness interventions among students.

The Mindfulness to Meaning Theory provides a detailed process model of the mechanisms by which mindfulness may promote well-being. Central to the Mindfulness to Meaning Theory is the mindful reappraisal hypothesis (MRH), which suggests mindfulness training promotes well-being by facilitating positive reappraisal. Emerging evidence from interconnected domains of research supports the MRH. However, it remains unclear whether mindful reappraisal continues to develop after a mindfulness training course and whether this continued development encourages well-being over time. As such, this randomized controlled study compared participants receiving a mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) course with participants receiving no mindfulness training on positive reappraisal use and well-being over the course of 6 years. Latent growth curve modeling revealed that mindfulness training increased well-being by significantly increasing the trajectory of positive reappraisal over time. The MRH was then unpacked by examining whether MBSR also stimulated decentering and broadened awareness, core components of the MRH. Multivariate path analysis revealed that mindfulness training increased decentering, which in turn broadened awareness, which was then associated with positive reappraisal, ultimately promoting well-being. Taken together, these findings suggest that MBSR cultivates a downstream cascade of adaptive psychological processes that continue to promote quality of life 6-years after mindfulness training. K E Y W O R D S mindfulness, mindfulness based stress reduction, positive reappraisal, well-being 1 | INTRODUCTION Mindfulness training has been shown to encourage enduring positive changes, including the alleviation of emotional distress and the pro-

No abstract