Study Results
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Basic Information
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COMPLETED
NA
76 participants
INTERVENTIONAL
2025-03-19
2025-06-07
Brief Summary
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The primary questions are
1. Would completing the Mindful Physiology course increase applied mindfulness?
2. Would completing the course increase self-efficacy in stress regulation?
3. Would completing the course reduce perceived reactivity to acute stressors?
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Detailed Description
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This study aims to examine whether integrating mindfulness practice into a ten-week undergraduate-level biology course will enhance applied mindfulness and stress regulation capacity. We hypothesize that completing this ten-week course will (1) increase applied mindfulness, (2) increase self-efficacy in stress regulation, and (3) decrease perceived stress in response to an acute stressor.
Secondary analyses will also evaluate differential changes in individual well-being score components (including learning-related anxiety, self-compassion, social connectedness, alcohol use, media addiction, overall well-being, and physiological reactivity to an acute stressor).
Linear mixed effect models with a time and treatment interaction term and random intercepts by the participant will be fit to examine the first two hypotheses to account for repeated measurements and potential data missingness. To test the third hypothesis, we will compute the pre- to post-stress induction changes in subjective stress. Next, two-sample t-tests will be run on each change score to examine differences in responses to the stress challenge between the two groups. As sensitivity analyses, effect modification by baseline dispositional mindfulness, perceived stress over the last month, and severity of anxiety will be examined by including a three-way interaction term in the models to understand whether the intervention effect differs by these baseline characteristics. Further, the effect of the class on secondary outcomes will be explored with linear mixed-effect models. All analyses will consider a p-value \< 0.05 as statistical significance.
Conditions
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Study Design
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RANDOMIZED
PARALLEL
PREVENTION
SINGLE
Study Groups
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Biology 3 students
This arm consists of students enrolled in the Mindful Physiology course (Biology 3) at Dartmouth College during the Spring 2025 term who will have access to the course offerings and usual university wellness resources.
Biology Course with Integrated Mindfulness
The intervention, Mindful Physiology, is an undergraduate-level biology course embedded with mindfulness practices. There will be 19 class sessions, each 1 hour and 50 minutes long, over 10 weeks. Students will be taught human physiology through didactic lectures, laboratory activities, and written quizzes typical for a college course. Each class meeting will have \~20 minutes of mindfulness practice in Thích Nhất Hạnh's Plum Village tradition. Students will also be encouraged to practice mindfulness for 15 minutes daily outside the class. Students will complete a daily log of their mindfulness practice and be given credit for each log completion regardless of the minutes of mindfulness practice. Students will be assigned a weekly written reflection on the physiology course content and/or their mindfulness practice. All students in the class are required to attend a 4.5-hour or a two-day (16-hour) on-campus mindfulness retreat.
Biology 3 waitlisted students
This arm consists of students waitlisted for the Biology 3 course during the Spring 2025 term. They will receive university wellness resources as usual. These include access to wellness counselors, mental health advisors, and psychiatrists at the university's counseling center, wellness advising at the student wellness center, and campus-wide wellness programs, such as weekly group yoga and meditation sessions and a free subscription to the Headspace app. On-campus mindfulness retreats will also be advertised and accessible to the control group.
No interventions assigned to this group
Interventions
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Biology Course with Integrated Mindfulness
The intervention, Mindful Physiology, is an undergraduate-level biology course embedded with mindfulness practices. There will be 19 class sessions, each 1 hour and 50 minutes long, over 10 weeks. Students will be taught human physiology through didactic lectures, laboratory activities, and written quizzes typical for a college course. Each class meeting will have \~20 minutes of mindfulness practice in Thích Nhất Hạnh's Plum Village tradition. Students will also be encouraged to practice mindfulness for 15 minutes daily outside the class. Students will complete a daily log of their mindfulness practice and be given credit for each log completion regardless of the minutes of mindfulness practice. Students will be assigned a weekly written reflection on the physiology course content and/or their mindfulness practice. All students in the class are required to attend a 4.5-hour or a two-day (16-hour) on-campus mindfulness retreat.
Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria
18 Years
ALL
Yes
Sponsors
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Dartmouth College
OTHER
Trustees of Dartmouth College
OTHER
Responsible Party
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Diane Gilbert-Diamond
Professor, Principal Investigator
Principal Investigators
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Diane Gilbert-Diamond, ScD
Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
Dartmouth College
Locations
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Dartmouth College
Hanover, New Hampshire, United States
Countries
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References
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Schou Andreassen C, Billieux J, Griffiths MD, Kuss DJ, Demetrovics Z, Mazzoni E, Pallesen S. The relationship between addictive use of social media and video games and symptoms of psychiatric disorders: A large-scale cross-sectional study. Psychol Addict Behav. 2016 Mar;30(2):252-62. doi: 10.1037/adb0000160.
Stress and Quality of Life Among University Students: A Systematic Literature Review. Health Professions Education,
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VanderWeele TJ. On the promotion of human flourishing. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2017 Aug 1;114(31):8148-8156. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1702996114. Epub 2017 Jul 13.
Zhang Z, Luu BCP, Gilbert-Diamond D. Acceptability, engagement, and preliminary efficacy of a college human physiology course with integrated mindfulness practice to support student wellbeing. Front Psychol. 2024 Aug 14;15:1365778. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1365778. eCollection 2024.
Wunsch K, Fiedler J, Bachert P, Woll A. The Tridirectional Relationship among Physical Activity, Stress, and Academic Performance in University Students: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Jan 16;18(2):739. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18020739.
Sawatzky RG, Ratner PA, Richardson CG, Washburn C, Sudmant W, Mirwaldt P. Stress and depression in students: the mediating role of stress management self-efficacy. Nurs Res. 2012 Jan-Feb;61(1):13-21. doi: 10.1097/NNR.0b013e31823b1440.
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Plummer F, Manea L, Trepel D, McMillan D. Screening for anxiety disorders with the GAD-7 and GAD-2: a systematic review and diagnostic metaanalysis. Gen Hosp Psychiatry. 2016 Mar-Apr;39:24-31. doi: 10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2015.11.005. Epub 2015 Nov 18.
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Nyklicek I, Mommersteeg PM, Van Beugen S, Ramakers C, Van Boxtel GJ. Mindfulness-based stress reduction and physiological activity during acute stress: a randomized controlled trial. Health Psychol. 2013 Oct;32(10):1110-3. doi: 10.1037/a0032200. Epub 2013 Mar 25.
Johnson BT, Acabchuk RL, George EA, Nardi W, Sun S, Salmoirago-Blotcher E, Scharf J, Loucks EB. Mental and Physical Health Impacts of Mindfulness Training for College Undergraduates: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Mindfulness (N Y). 2023 Sep;14(9):2077-2096. doi: 10.1007/s12671-023-02212-6. Epub 2023 Sep 22.
Harris PA, Taylor R, Thielke R, Payne J, Gonzalez N, Conde JG. Research electronic data capture (REDCap)--a metadata-driven methodology and workflow process for providing translational research informatics support. J Biomed Inform. 2009 Apr;42(2):377-81. doi: 10.1016/j.jbi.2008.08.010. Epub 2008 Sep 30.
Galante J, Dufour G, Vainre M, Wagner AP, Stochl J, Benton A, Lathia N, Howarth E, Jones PB. A mindfulness-based intervention to increase resilience to stress in university students (the Mindful Student Study): a pragmatic randomised controlled trial. Lancet Public Health. 2018 Feb;3(2):e72-e81. doi: 10.1016/S2468-2667(17)30231-1. Epub 2017 Dec 19.
Dawson AF, Brown WW, Anderson J, Datta B, Donald JN, Hong K, Allan S, Mole TB, Jones PB, Galante J. Mindfulness-Based Interventions for University Students: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials. Appl Psychol Health Well Being. 2020 Jul;12(2):384-410. doi: 10.1111/aphw.12188. Epub 2019 Nov 19.
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Other Identifiers
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STUDY00032944
Identifier Type: -
Identifier Source: org_study_id
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