Needs assessment is the process of measuring the gaps between current and desired states. It plays a vital role in the development of an individual's meta-skills in preparing students for the future. The objectives of this study were 1) to study the students' desired and current meta-skills and 2) to identify the priority needs in developing the meta-skills of undergraduate students. The sample consisted of 400 undergraduate students enrolled in public universities in Bangkok during the first semester of the 2020 academic year selected by multi-stage random sampling. The research instrument was the Meta-skills Development Needs Assessment Questionnaire for Undergraduate Students. Mean, standard deviation, dependent samples t test, and the Modified Priority Needs Index analysis were carried out on the data. The results showed that the mean scores of the desired major components were higher than those of the current ones at a significance level of .05. Moreover, the undergraduate students needed to develop creative problem-solving the most (PNI modified = 0.32), followed by resilience (PNI modified = 0.21) and self-awareness (PNI modified = 0.16), respectively. The results of this study can be used to design and develop programmes or policies to foster the meta-skills that are needed by students in this era of change.

Mindfulness based interventions (MBIs) are an emerging area of empirical study, not only in positive psychology, but also in clinical health care. This research aims to synthesize the evidence about whether MBIs reduce blood pressure (BP) in patients with non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Methods: Relevant studies were identified via PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Embase and the CINAHL database between 2009 and 2019. The papers selected focused on mindfulness and the effect of these on the BP of patients with NCDs. The change in SBP and DBP were meta-analyzed, stratified by type of intervention (Breathing awareness meditation (BAM), Mindfulness Meditation (MM), and Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR). Results: Fourteen articles met eligibility criteria and were included in the final review. Among the studies using the type and duration of intervention, systolic BP was reduced after the mindfulness-based stress reduction for 8 weeks (-6.90 mmHg [95% CI: -10.82, -2.97], p < .050), followed by the breathing awareness meditation for 12 weeks (-4.10 mmHg [95% CI: -7.54, -0.66], p < .050) and the mindfulness-based intervention for 8 weeks (-2.69 mmHg [95% CI: -3.90, -1.49], p < .050) whereas diastolic BP was reduced after the mindfulness-based stress reduction for 8 weeks (-2.45 mmHg [95% CI: -3.74, -1.17], p < .050) and the mindfulness-based intervention for 8 weeks (-2.24 mmHg [95% CI: -3.22, -1.26], p < .050). Conclusion: MBIs can provide effective alternative therapies to assist in blood pressure reduction for patients with NCDs.

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