Efficacy of a single-session online ACT-based mindfulness intervention among undergraduates in lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract Introduction COVID-19 has trickle-down psychological effects on multiple strata of society, particularly university students. Apart from the worry of contracting or spreading COVID-19, Malaysian university students were also locked down on their campuses, suffering significant psychological distress. Hence, an online mindfulness intervention was proposed to alleviate psychological distress and improve psychological flexibility and mindfulness. Methods This was a quasi-experimental study with university students as participants. Intervention group participants were instructed to complete online questionnaires which covered basic demographics and instruments assessing depression, anxiety, stress, mindfulness, psychological flexibility, and fear of COVID-19 before and after the one-hour intervention. The control group also completed before and after questionnaires and were subsequently crossed over to the intervention group. Repeated measures ANOVA was conducted to assess time*group effects. Results 118 participants were involved in this study. There were significant differences in anxiety (F(1,116) = 34.361, p < 0.001, partial eta-squared = 0.229) and psychological flexibility between the two groups (F(1,116) = 11.010, p = 0.001, partial eta-squared = 0.087), while there were no differences in depression, stress, mindfulness, or fear of COVID-19. Conclusion The results of this study corroborate the efficacy of online single-session mindfulness therapy as a viable short-term psychological intervention under financial and time constraints. Since university students are in the age group with the highest incidence of depressive and anxiety disorders, it is crucial to utilize resources to address as many students as possible to ensure maximum benefit.

Bibliographic Details

Main Authors:	Pang,Nicholas Tze Ping, Tio,Vincent Chung Sheng, Bhupendar Singh,Amardeep Singh, Tseu,Mathias Wen Leh, Shoesmith,Wendy Diana, Abd Rahim,Muhammad Aklil, Mohd Kassim,Mohd Amiruddin
Format:	Digital revista
Language:	English
Published:	Associação de Psiquiatria do Rio Grande do Sul 2022
Online Access:	http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2237-60892022000100423
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