EFFICACY OF MINDFULNESS-BASED INTERVENTIONS IN REDUCING ACADEMIC STRESS AMONG STUDENTS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

Abstract

Academic stress is a serious public health concern that adversely affects the emotional wellbeing, the cognitive capacity, and the academic success in students. Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) such as Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and brief app-based and class-based programs have become increasingly popular as forms of self-regulation tools. This systematic review examines the effectiveness of using MBIs for reducing academic stress based on the results of test results of 10 studies: experimental and quasi-experimental studies between 2011 and 2025, which has been conducted among students in the fields of medicine, nursing and other students on the territories of Australia, Norway, Spain, Malaysia, South Korea, USA, Pakistan, Iran, and China. According to the results of 10 studies, yoga practice leads to the statistically significant reduction in stress levels in all the cases. It was stressed out that MBIs of different durations, with the most common being from 5 to 8 weeks, lead to the positive outcomes. The results of the research can have important implications for considering methods of improving university counseling services.