Mindfulness for the reduction of stress, anxiety and depression in university students in Yhú, Paraguay

Abstract

Introduction. Stress, anxiety and depression are emerging symptoms in university students; therefore,in order to control them it is vital to identify programs based on evidence, at low cost, and feasible of being implemented and replicated in natural contexts such as universities. Objective. To evaluate the effect of an introductory workshop on the practice of mindfulness for the reduction of symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression in university students from the city of Yhú in the 2022 academic year. Materials and methods. Quasi-experimental study in which 20 students participated in mindfulness workshops for eight weeks. The DASS21 standardized scale was used to measure stress, anxiety and depression before and after the intervention; and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test for paired samples to determine if there was a difference in pre- and post-intervention data on depression, anxiety, and stress. Results. There was a significant difference (p < 0.001) in the pre-post scores of depression, anxiety and stress. Conclusion. This study has shown that mindfulness techniques are significantly effective in reducing symptoms of anxiety, stress, and depression in university students. It is recommended to continue evaluating the effect of mindfulness with university students, and the use of more complex clinical trials, and also consider measuring the social validity of the interventions through interviews or focus groups with the participants.