Immediate mood changes and practice adherence during a self-directed SKT1 meditation program in university students: An intensive longitudinal study

Abstract

Background University students frequently report elevated stress, yet access to formal mental health services is often constrained. Self-directed mind-body practices, such as the Somporn Kantharadussadee Triamchaisri program (SKT1), may offer low-intensity mood management; however, real-world evidence based on repeated within-person assessments remains limited. Objectives To examine immediate within-session mood changes, practice adherence, temporal stability, and individual differences associated with self-directed SKT1 practice among university students. Methods Twenty-seven university students (n=19 female, 70.37%) completed 28 self-directed SKT1 sessions over 14 days, yielding 710 within-person observations. Negative mood was rated on a 0–10 numeric rating scale (NRS) immediately before and after each session. Data were analyzed using Linear Mixed Models (LMM) with a Diagonal covariance structure, which provided a superior model fit compared to simpler variance components. Results Participants demonstrated high engagement, completing a mean of 26.3 sessions (SD=2.8). LMM analysis revealed a highly significant decrease in negative mood immediately following SKT1 practice (b=0.572, t(522.79) = 42.12, p