The purpose of this study was to look at the effects of an MBSR elective course on the psychological distress of second-year medical students.

Villanova University

- Purpose
- Method
- Results
- Conclusion
- Limitations

Effectiveness of an MBSR Elective Course for 2nd Year Medical Students' Psychological Distress: Article Summary

Rosenzweig, S., Reibel, D. K., Greeson, J. M., Brainard, G. C., & Hojat, M. (2003). Mindfulness-based stress reduction lowers psychological distress in medical students. Teaching and Learning in Medicine, 15(2), 88-92. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15328015TLM1502_03

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Lowers Psychological Distress in Medical Students 

- 2nd year medical students at one school were given the option to take an MBSR elective seminar course.
- Participants were split into two groups: Students enrolled in the MBSR course (140), and students enrolled in an alternative medicine course (162). Students in the alternative medicine course were considered the control group.
- Profile of Mood States (POMS) Assessment was used to measure the psychological well-being of students in both groups at the beginning and end of the semester.

Effectiveness of an MBSR Elective Course for 2nd Year Medical Students: Method

- An MBSR elective course is effective in decreasing overall psychological distress in 2nd year medical students.
- Students who did not take the MBSR course experienced overall increase in psychological distress throughout the semester. 

Effectiveness of an MBSR Elective Course for 2nd Year Medical Students: Conclusions

- The assigned groups used for the study were nonrandomized, so students who were more distressed enrolled in the MBSR course.
- The MBSR course and alternative medicine course were not completely comparable, as the alternative medicine course did not assign homework.
- All students were from the same university, so results may not be generalizable to 2nd year medical students at other schools.

Effectiveness of an MBSR Elective Course for 2nd Year Medical Students: Limitations

- Researchers used multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) to obtain their results.
- Students in the MBSR course and alternative medicine course both experienced a change in TMD scores, although the changes were in opposite directions.
- Changes in POMS scores within the MBSR group differed depending on the POMS subscale.
- Students in the control group alternative medicine class experienced a significant decrease in scores on the vigor-activity subscale.

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