Effects of active meditation on physical and psycho-emotional stress indicators in chilean health sciences students. A pilot study

Abstract

Introduction: The multiple academic demands in the university environment generate high levels of stress among students. Although said stress may be useful to meet such demands, in many cases, it can have a negative impact on their health. Objective: To assess whether the implementation of active meditation in the daily routine of health sciences university students impacts their physical and psycho-emotional stress indicators. Materials and methods: Exploratory and quantitative pilot study carried out in a sample of 22 university students who agreed to participate in a 3-month active meditation elective course (18 sessions). Participants were asked to fill out the Global State Perception Questionnaire (CPGE) ex-ante and ex-post taking the course. Results: 18 participants completed the GSPC ex-ante and ex-post, but only 16 were valid for data processing. Most students reported an improvement in their perception of coping with different stressful situations after completing the course. For example, 87.5% reported remaining in a relaxed state during stressful situations, 81% stated feeling decreased mental exhaustion, and 81% said they were better at handling stressful situations. Conclusions: The implementation of active meditation in the daily routine of this group of university students decreased their physical and psycho-emotional indicators of stress. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out new studies with larger samples to confirm the positive effect of this type of course on the health of university students, which will undoubtedly lead to better academic performance as a result of a better mental state.