Impact of Mindfulness on Students

This assignment examines the influence of meditation, relaxation techniques, and stress levels on trait mindfulness in students. It analyzes research findings to determine if these factors significantly affect mindfulness levels. The study ultimately concludes that while mindfulness can be beneficial for psychological well-being, the investigated factors (meditation, relaxation, and stress) do not have a notable impact on trait mindfulness in this student population.

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Effects of Mindfulness on coping Behaviour on students from Western Sydney University
Psychology : Behavioral Science 2017
Student Name
Western Sydney University

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Abstract
Mindfulness is a psychological parameter that has been of great importance of study in
recent years. Various scholars and researchers are conducting ways, means and methods for the
purpose of understanding effects of stress on mindfulness for behavioral outcomes. the
hypothesis from the study accepts that stress doe impact behavioral outcomes amongst students
of Western Sydney University for mindfulness. Data collected form first hand source had been
analysed using statistical techniques and procedures using ANNOVA tests. The results from the
test indicates that there has been no deviation in results amongst the control group and
experimental group. The scope of this report analyses deviations and trends amongst both groups
that has been developed for the study. In the end discussion of the results provides insights into
the findings for the study.

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Introduction
Mindfulness is said to enhance self-regulation in presence of threatening or stressful
experiences according to various literatures. In contemporary research in psychology there has
been tremendous investigations related to impact of mindfulness for being a psychological
construct for multiple clinical as well as behavioral interventions (Josefsson, 2014). Multiple
studies have been progressed in order to analyse the impacts of mindfulness with that of stress by
various researchers. Findings from all relevant studies reflects a positive relation of stress with
that of mindfulness for coping with response. There are multiple theories as well that have been
derived for enhancing studies relative to mindfulness to increase capacity of individuals for
experiencing feelings as stress. The scope of this report analyses effects of mindfulness on coping
behaviour amongst students of Western Sydney University. A group of participants were selected,
who were exposed to a variety of situations of diversified feelings then results were taken down
and analysed to understand their relation with mindfulness indicators (Alsubaie, 2017). Analysis
of results from the study have been discussed in detail in this report identifying the pertinent
factors that are conducive to its study. The aim of this study examines impact of stress on
mindfulness causing behaviour patterns amongst students, which also forms underlying
hypothesis. There is a literature gap in this study as it does not incorporate other exhibitors of
mindfulness and incorporates behavioral patterns as only parameter to depict effects of stress.
Research Aims and Objectives
Research Aim 1: To analyse nature of Trait Mindfulness
Research Aim 2: To understand the impact of stress on behavioral outcomes for
mindfulness
Research Aim 3: To analyse relation of mindfulness with that of relaxation, meditation in
stress and non-stress situations

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Hypothesis for the Study: Stress does impact mindfulness for generating a behavioral
outcome
Method
Participants
A total of 478 undergraduate students from Western Sydney University participated in a
study investigating the effects of mindfulness on coping behaviour.
Materials and Apparatus
Trait mindfulness was measured using the 15-item Mindful Attention and Awareness
Scale. Sample items included “I find it difficult to stay focused on what’s happening in the
present” and “I rush through activities without really being attentive to them”. Participants were
asked to rate each item on a five-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree, 5 = strongly agree). A
higher score indicates lower trait mindfulness.
General perceived stress was measured with the 10-item version of the Perceived Stress
Scale. Sample items included “In the last month, how often have you been upset because of
something that happened unexpectedly” and “In the last month, how often have you felt
confident about your ability to handle your personal problems”. Participants were asked to rate
each item on a five-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree, 5 = strongly agree). A higher score
indicates higher perceived stress in the last month.
Coping behavior was measured post-test using the COPE Inventory from which approach
and avoidance coping scales were derived. Only scores from the approach coping subscale were

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used in the final analysis because they focus on adaptive coping behaviours. Approach coping
comprised measures of acceptance, positive reinterpretation and growth, and active coping, each
comprising of four items.
Procedure
Participants were tested in their Psychology: Behavioural Science tutorial in weeks two
and three. At the end of week two participants were instructed to complete a number of pretest
items that included Mindful Attention and Awareness Scale, General perceived stress, and
cognitive defusion scales. In week three participants completed the manipulation of stress in
which students were asked about their challenge or weakness in a hypothetical interview
question.
Following the manipulation of stress, tutorial groups were given a number of different
inductions. These inductions included a mindfulness condition, a relaxation condition, and a
control condition. The mindfulness induction involved participants either doing an acceptance
meditation, a leaves on the stream meditation, or a mindful raising eating activity in which
participants were invited to touch, smell, feel, and taste the raisin in a deliberate way. The
relaxation condition involved tensing and relaxing the various muscle groups of the body using a
progressive muscle relaxation script. In the control condition participants were reminded to allow
their thoughts to wander. All inductions were recorded by an appropriately qualified
psychologist to ensure consistency across the conditions. The self-affirmation written task was
excluded from the analysis.
A maze solving task was then given to participants as a filler task. In order to measure
adaptive coping behaviours, participants were then instructed to complete the COPE Inventory

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Results
We first examined the baseline measures of trait mindfulness and general perceived stress
in the last month on the three conditions of mindfulness, relaxation, and the control (across the
stress and no stress condition). No significant differences between the three conditions on trait
mindfulness were found.
A 3 x 2 (type of induction x stress) between groups ANOVA was performed on scores
from the approach coping style of the brief COPE inventory. Initial analysis of the data found no
missing data and assumptions of normality and homogeneity were satisfactory. The induction by
stress interaction was non-significant, F(2, 217) = 0.44, p = .647. The main effect of induction
was not significant F(2, 217) = 0.05, p = .95. The main effect of stress was not significant F(2,
217) = 0.35, p = .56. Descriptive statistics are given in Table 1.
Table 1
Mean Approach Coping Scores for Type of Induction by Stress
No Stress Stress Total
Type of Induction M SD M SD M SD
Meditation 11.15 2.41 11.26 2.76 11.21 2.60
Relaxation 11.64 2.26 10.95 2.65 11.35 2.44
Control 11.18 1.81 11.09 2.81 11.14 2.34
Total 11.28 2.26 11.16 2.72 11.22 2.50

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Discussion
For the purpose of progressing on this study and conducting subsequent analysis of the
same, the scholar has adopted first hand data collection. Primary data collection procedure has
been adopted with explorative study methodology (Tapper, 2009). This procedure allows to
explore various theories and concepts of psychology with that of mindfulness. The scholar has
explored multiple theories and concepts in order to arrive at background for developing the study
technique. Then following which inductive reasoning has been adopted which allows for
drawing conclusions from theories and subsequent concepts connecting mindfulness with various
behavioral patterns. The scholar has further adopted quantitative analysis with collection of such
data for arriving at results for the study. Then subsequently statistical techniques and procedures
were adopted for analysing the data collected from 478 total participants for the study
(Weinstein, 2009). The scholar has adopted ethical procedures and not adhered to any unethical
means by providing details of the study to the participants prior to collecting information. There
are three parameters that has been adopted for the study consisting of Trait mindfulness with
Mindful Attention and Awareness Scale, General perceived stress with Received Stress Scale
and coping behaviour with COPE Inventory. A cognitive scale had been adopted for the purpose
of drawing data from students in hypothetical formed questions. Participants were divided into
control groups and experimental groups, for experimental group had been given, Induction
techniques were adopted for manipulating stress and maze solving tasks for COPE Inventory.
Control condition participants were allowed to wander (Siegling, 2014). ANNOVA test was
conducted on Trait Mindfulness for arriving at results for the study. Mindfulness has several
impacts on psychological health of individual students as its relation can be said to be positively
related. Psychological well-being has been found to be dependent empirically as well as
theoretically related to mindfulness (Raes, 2011). Drawing from the results of the data that was
collected, there had been measures of mindfulness, relaxation and control on trait mindfulness
(Agee, 2009). The findings from the data reflects that there were no subsequent effects of stress
on mindfulness from the induction that was made. The induction made for control group as well
as for experimental group where they had been exposed to situations have not been significant.
This reflects that hypothesis on factors of behaviours on mindfulness can easily be rejected and
the other hypothesis can be established (Nussbaum, 2008). In meditation, relaxation and control

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situations there have relatively no deviation on mindfulness factors which provides that with
similar SD values stress and no stress situation on mindfulness almost prevailed to be similar in
nature.
Mindfulness consist of several factors as awareness, non-judgmental acceptance, anxiety, fear,
suppress along with various other emotions. The hypothesis of the study has adopted that stress
does impact mindfulness for exhibiting behaviours. Literature of this study examines only
psychological impacts from stress on mindfulness that can exhibit behaviours amongst students.
Results and findings from the study are analysed as below;
Research Findings 1: Mindfulness has been described to be a psychological trait that
provides a mode of awareness. It is connected to reducing as much possible confusion and
deriving meaning from all perceptions. Non-judgmental way of perceiving the present moment is
a definition that represents mindfulness. In this context students from the University were
provided a set of hypothetical questions, in order to test their mindfulness or attentions or
awareness levels. They were provided set of situations where they had answer these questions.
Then Coping with stress scores were derived from each one of them for computation which
reveal low variations amongst them (Dobkin, 2017). Students had reflected almost randomly
irrespective of the situations in which they were exposed to.
Research Findings 2: Bishop et al. model proposes two components of mindfulness as
self-regulation of attention and adopting of particular orientation in one’s experience. This model
provides useful thoughts and concepts from where questions for students has been derived. As
students are subject to number of tests and assignments of the most important questions was to
reflect on ways in which they handled stress when they were unable to finish tasks. In spite of
various situations, students found that this resulted often in high stress on them, when they were
unable to complete a task in time. Thus, from this it can be derived and analysed that response
towards stress often is connected with stress factor and not towards their mindfulness to cause
behaviour patterns.
Research Findings 3: One’s orientation towards a particular incidence has been
connected to behavioral patterns of mindfulness. A student’s attitude, orientation, openness,
curiosity, acceptance are some factors that are connected with mindfulness and cannot be

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equated against resignation or passiveness. Mindfulness needs to be cultivated for attaining goals
of individuals and cannot be impacted from situations, it is a psychological course. Students
when exposed to a wide variety of situations were expected to react differently in various groups
(Van Vliet, 2017). While the scholar created incidents separately in for determining behavioral
trends which can be distinctly identified, no such distinctions were noted. While calculating
standard deviation and p results for each group, similar trends were found. Thus, mindfulness
meditation that began in 1960s was determined to be an integral factor in psychological
intervention. It works as a clinical method for various disposition with no significant behavioral
outcomes as anxiety, cheerfulness, fear and so on. Thus, stress being connected to mindfulness as
a behaviour pattern can act as a stimuli in case of meditation. Though the Mean in case of stress
factor in meditation were fairly high as compared to no stress situations.
Research Findings 4: Relaxation also has been found by many researchers as having
positive correlation with positive behavioral trends in mindfulness. With results done form the
analysis it was found that relaxation does not impact greatly on mindfulness in stress and no
stress conditions. Meaning that in this case also hypothesis can be rejected and no behavioral
outcomes has been seen. Trait mindfulness is generally found to be associated with higher levels
of satisfaction, consciousness, self-esteem, sense of autonomy, empathy, optimism, pleasant
effect and agreeableness amongst other factors. There are other negative behavioral trends
associated with mindfulness which results in difficulty in emotional regulations. Self-reported
measures in the study has been totally excluded. Thus, it can be said that trait mindfulness is not
impacted by control factors, relaxation and meditation variables as assigned in the study.
Research Findings 5: The results from the study depicts no significant impacts on trait
mindfulness and all results from participants has been collected by scholar himself. Trait
mindfulness can act as useful determinant in psychological well-being which cannot be
connected with any factors that has been identified in the study.
The study provides useful insights into factors that can be rejected while analysing or
developing features that can increase mindfulness amongst students. This study in case enhanced
can results in tremendous benefits in the domain of psychological sciences by rejecting these

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three factors for student level enhancement for trait mindfulness factors. The scope of the study
is immense and can form basis for further theoretical extension.
References
Agee, J. D.-B. (2009). Comparing brief stress management courses in a community sample:
mindfulness skills and. Explore: The Journal of Science and, 104-109.
Alsubaie, M. A. (2017). Mechanisms of action in mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT)
and mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) in people with physical and/or
psychological conditions: A systematic review. Clinical Psychology Review.
Dobkin, P. L. (2017). Who experiences depressive symptoms following mindfulness-based stress
reduction and why? International Journal of Whole Person Care.
Josefsson, T. L. (2014). The effects of ashort-term mindfulness based intervention on self-
reported mindfulness,decentering, executive attention, psychological health, andcoping
style: examining unique mindfulness effects and mediators. Mindfulness, 18-35.
Nussbaum, A. D. (2008). Defensiveness versus remediation:self-theories and modes of self-
esteem maintenance. Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin, 599-612.
Raes, F. (2011). The effect of self-compassion on the development of depression symptoms in a
non-clinical sample. Mindfulness, 33-36.
Siegling, A. B. (2014). Measures of trait mindfulness:convergent validity, shared dimensionality,
and linkages to the fivefactor model. Frontiers in Psychology, 1164.
Tapper, K. S. (2009). Exploratory randomised controlled trial of a mindfulnessbased weight loss
intervention for women. Appetite, 396-404.
Van Vliet, K. J. (2017). Impact of a mindfulness‐based stress reduction program from the
perspective of adolescents with serious mental health concerns. Child and Adolescent
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Weinstein, N. B. (2009). A multi-method examination of the effects of mindfulness on stress
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385.