Dataset Information

Effects of a Required Large-Group Mindfulness Meditation Course on First-Year Medical Students' Mental Health and Quality of Life: a Randomized Controlled Trial.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Teaching mindfulness techniques has been used in the attempt to prevent mental health problems in medical students. Although it has already shown promising results when offered to volunteers, the use as a required strategy is still controversial.

Objectives

To verify the efficacy of teaching mindfulness techniques to large groups when made part of a required discipline at the beginning of medical training.

Design

Randomized controlled trial PARTICIPANTS: First-year medical students at the Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Brazil METHOD: Students were randomized into two groups: an intervention group (receiving a 6-week mindfulness protocol) and a control group (given a 6-week course containing organizational aspects of the medical school).

Main measures

Intervention and control groups were compared on the levels of quality of life (WHOQOL-Bref), stress, anxiety and depression (DASS 21) and the facets of mindfulness (FFMQ) at baseline and at the end of the intervention.

Results

A total of 141 students were included in the study, 70 in the intervention group and 71 in the control group. No significant differences were found between the intervention and control groups in all mental health, quality of life, and FFMQ scores (Cohen's d?=?0.01 to 0.14). Likewise, no significant gains in mental health measures, quality of life, and FFMQ were identified in the intervention group when compared with the control group (Cohen's d?=?0.02 to 0.33).

Conclusions

The incorporation of a required mindfulness course for large groups in the curriculum during the first semester of medical training was not associated with an improvement on medical students' mental health and quality of life.

Clinical trials registration

NCT03132597.

SUBMITTER: Damiao Neto A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7080902 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Effects of a Required Large-Group Mindfulness Meditation Course on First-Year Medical Students' Mental Health and Quality of Life: a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Damião Neto Afonso A Lucchetti Alessandra Lamas Granero ALG da Silva Ezequiel Oscarina O Lucchetti Giancarlo G

Journal of general internal medicine 20190826 3

<h4>Background</h4>Teaching mindfulness techniques has been used in the attempt to prevent mental health problems in medical students. Although it has already shown promising results when offered to volunteers, the use as a required strategy is still controversial.<h4>Objectives</h4>To verify the efficacy of teaching mindfulness techniques to large groups when made part of a required discipline at the beginning of medical training.<h4>Design</h4>Randomized controlled trial PARTICIPANTS: First-ye ...[more]

PMID: 31452038

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Project description:IntroductionThe initial year of medical school is linked to a decline in mental health. To assess mental health comprehensively, the dual-factor model posits the consideration of both psychopathology (e.g., depression) and positive mental health (e.g., well-being). Previous mental health research among medical students has primarily examined these two factors independently. This study uses the dual-factor approach for a deeper understanding of mental health changes during the first year of medical school.MethodsStudents from eight German medical schools (N = 450) were surveyed three times (T0 = entering medical school, T1 = end of the first semester, T2 = end of the second semester) regarding depression (PHQ-9), well-being (subscale of FAHW-12), and general life satisfaction (German Single-Item Scale L1). Latent profile analysis was used to identify distinct mental health groups based on their combinations of psychopathology and positive mental health. We then analysed trajectories descriptively by examining the longitudinal stability and dynamics of mental health group membership during the first year of medical school.ResultsWe identified five mental health groups: (1) complete mental health, (2) moderately mentally healthy, (3) symptomatic but content, (4) vulnerable, and (5) troubled. The examination of change trajectories unveiled diverse paths pointing towards both recovery and deterioration. In comparison to the other groups, students belonging to the complete mental health group exhibited greater stability and a higher potential to recover after initial deteriorations in the first semester.ConclusionsOur study uncovers distinct mental health trajectories in the first year of medical school, emphasizing the crucial role of initial mental health status. Our findings stress the diverse nature of mental health changes in medical students, underscoring the need for tailored prevention strategies. The implications for research and practice are discussed.

Project description:BackgroundMedical students are prone to mental disorders, such as depression and anxiety, and their psychological burden is mainly related to their highly demanding studies. Interventions are needed to improve medical students' mental health literacy (MHL) and wellbeing. This study assessed the digital Transitions, a MHL program for medical students that covered blended life skills and mindfulness activities.MethodologyThis was a one group, quasi-experimental pretest-posttest study. The study population was 374 first-year students who started attending the medical faculty at the University of Turku, Finland, in 2018-2019. Transitions was provided as an elective course and 220 students chose to attend and 182 agreed to participate in our research. Transitions included two 60-minute lectures, four weeks apart, with online self-learning material in between. The content focused on life and academic skills, stress management, positive mental health, mental health problems and disorders. It included mindfulness audiotapes. Mental health knowledge, stigma and help-seeking questionnaires were used to measure MHL. The Perceived Stress Scale and General Health Questionnaire measured the students' stress and health, respectively. A single group design, with repeated measurements of analysis of variance, was used to analyze the differences in the mean outcome scores for the 158 students who completed all three stages: the pre-test (before the first lecture), the post-test (after the second lecture) and the two-month follow-up evaluation.ResultsThe students' mean scores for mental health knowledge improved (-1.6, 95% Cl -1.9 to -1.3, P<.001) and their emotional symptoms were alleviated immediately after the program (0.5, 95% Cl 0.0 to 1.1, P=.040). The changes were maintained at the two-month follow up (-1.7, 95% Cl -2.0 to -1.4, P<.001 and 1.0, 95% Cl 0.2 to 1.8, P=.019, respectively). The students' stress levels reduced (P=.022) and their attitudes towards help-seeking improved after the program (P<.001), but these changes were not maintained at the two-month follow up. The stigma of mental illness did not change during the study (P=.13).ConclusionsThe digital Transitions program was easily integrated into the university curriculum and it improved the students' mental health literacy and wellbeing. The program may respond to the increasing global need for universal digital services, especially during the lockdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic.Trial registrationThe trial was registered at the ISRCTN registry (26 May 2021), registration number 10.1186/ ISRCTN10565335 ).

Project description:Students commencing their medical training arrive with different educational backgrounds and a diverse range of learning experiences. Consequently, students would have developed preferred approaches to acquiring and processing information or learning style preferences. Understanding first-year students' learning style preferences is important to success in learning. However, little is understood about how learning styles impact learning and performance across different subjects within the medical curriculum. Greater understanding of the relationship between students' learning style preferences and academic performance in specific medical subjects would be valuable.This cross-sectional study examined the learning style preferences of first-year medical students and how they differ across gender. This research also analyzed the effect of learning styles on academic performance across different subjects within a medical education program in a Central Asian university. A total of 52 students (57.7% females) from two batches of first-year medical school completed the Index of Learning Styles Questionnaire, which measures four dimensions of learning styles: sensing-intuitive; visual-verbal; active-reflective; sequential-global.First-year medical students reported preferences for visual (80.8%) and sequential (60.5%) learning styles, suggesting that these students preferred to learn through demonstrations and diagrams and in a linear and sequential way. Our results indicate that male medical students have higher preference for visual learning style over verbal, while females seemed to have a higher preference for sequential learning style over global. Significant associations were found between sensing-intuitive learning styles and performance in Genetics [β = -0.46, B = -0.44, p < 0.01] and Anatomy [β = -0.41, B = -0.61, p < 0.05] and between sequential-global styles and performance in Genetics [β = 0.36, B = 0.43, p < 0.05]. More specifically, sensing learners were more likely to perform better than intuitive learners in the two subjects and global learners were more likely to perform better than sequential learners in Genetics.This knowledge will be helpful to individual students to improve their performance in these subjects by adopting new sensing learning techniques. Instructors can also benefit by modifying and adapting more appropriate teaching approaches in these subjects. Future studies to validate this observation will be valuable.

Project description:BackgroundMedical school typically presents students with a combination of academic and personal stressors that may lead to substandard mental health wellbeing. Meditation practices such as mindfulness facilitate a greater awareness of one's thoughts and feelings, thereby decreasing emotional reactivity. The use of mindfulness-based interventions delivered online has considerable potential in fostering self-care and helping medical students to handle mental health challenges. We examined the available evidence on the use of online mindfulness interventions in order to determine whether they are feasible and effective for improving medical students' mental health.MethodsWe performed a systematic review guided by PRISMA guidelines and utilised the following databases: ProQuest, Medline, PubMed, PsycINFO, Web of Science, IEEE Explore, Cochrane, and CINAHL. The key search terms used include mindfulness, cognitive behavioural therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, online, web, virtual, internet cyber, app, medical students, residency students, and residents. English-language articles published in the last ten years that described online interventions for medical students or residents were included in the review.ResultsTwo studies describing the impact of online mindfulness interventions on medical students' mental health were identified. Research in this domain is nascent; available qualitative and quantitative evidence suggests benefits in self-compassion, perceived stress, cognitive skill use, mindfulness, creating coping mechanisms, and greater awareness of emotions and feelings. There was no evidence of the effectiveness of online mindfulness interventions on depression, anxiety and burnout. There was, however, general low program usage and participation tended to diminish near the conclusion of the interventions.ConclusionsThe evidence found in the systematic review exhibits the potential for online mindfulness interventions to be effective in addressing some mental health challenges of medical students. There was insufficient evidence to support the use of online mindfulness interventions for burnout, depression, and anxiety. Longitudinal studies with randomised controlled trials are required to generate stronger and robust evidence.

Project description:BACKGROUND: Our college introduced an integrated learning program (ILP) for first year undergraduates with an aim to develop, implement and evaluate a module for CNS in basic sciences and to assess the feasibility of an ILP in phase I of medical education in a college following traditional medical curriculum. METHODS: The idea of implementing ILP for Central Nervous System (CNS) in phase one was conceived by curriculum development committee drawn from faculty of all phases. After a series of meetings of curriculum development committee, inputs from basic science and clinical departments, a time table was constructed. Various teaching learning methods, themes for integrated didactic lectures, case based learning and clinical exposure were decided. Basic science faculty were made to participate actively in both case based learning and hospital visits along with clinical experts. The completed program was evaluated based on structured questionnaire. RESULTS: Sixty percent students rated the program good to excellent with reference to appreciation, understanding and application of basic science knowledge in health and disease. Seventy eight percent felt that this program will help them perform better in later days of clinical training. However sixty percent students felt that ILP will not help them perform better at the first professional examination. Seventy two per cent of faculty agreed that this program improved understanding and application of basic science knowledge of students. Ninety percent of faculty felt that this program will help them perform better in later days of clinical training. CONCLUSION: The adoption of present integrated module for CNS and the use of multiple teaching learning methods have been proven to be useful in acquisition of knowledge from the student satisfaction point of view. Students and faculty expressed an overall satisfaction towards ILP for CNS. The study showed that it is possible to adopt an integrated learning module in the first year of medical course under a conventional curriculum.

Project description:Background: Exponential increases in the development of medical knowledge, the expansion of areas where medicine develops its activities, the emergence of new pathologies ( e.g., COVID-19), novel diagnostic methods and therapeutic strategies, together with the appearance of multiple communication and information technologies, determined that the education of future physicians required targeted training in scientific methodology. Methods: The design and execution of a course in scientific methodology in the curriculum of Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, Uruguay, is described. The course is carried out at an advanced stage of the medical studies for all the students, in which they develop a 10-month research project supervised by the medical school faculty. Students undergo all stages of a research endeavor: generation of hypothesis, elaboration of a research protocol, submission to the Research Ethics and Animal Welfare Committees, data recollection, analysis, interpretation and publication of the results. Results: The course is undertaken at the Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, Uruguay, the main university of the country, with high numbers of students enrolled. The course involves the participation of 600 students and up to 300 professors per year, which implies a huge institutional effort Conclusions: The scientific methodology course resulted in one of the most important incorporations of the current 2008 curriculum. Local students, faculty and international evaluators have qualified this activity as an educational breakthrough, being a gratifying and productive experience. The course represented the first exposure of medical students to the research methodology, scientific literature and publication rules, and emphasized the dynamic nature of medical knowledge within modern medical education. Moreover, for some students it constituted the onset of academic research careers. An additional positive outcome was the reactivation of some faculty research projects, in a way that largely exceeded the boundaries of the course.

Dataset Information

Effects of a Required Large-Group Mindfulness Meditation Course on First-Year Medical Students' Mental Health and Quality of Life: a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background

Objectives

Design

Main measures

Results

Conclusions

Clinical trials registration

Publications

Effects of a Required Large-Group Mindfulness Meditation Course on First-Year Medical Students' Mental Health and Quality of Life: a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Similar Datasets

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