Effect of a mindfulness program on stress, anxiety, depression, sleep quality, social support, and life satisfaction: a quasi-experimental study in college students

Introduction: The university experience presents academic and personal challenges that can adversely affect students’ mental health. This study evaluated the effect of a mindfulness program on stress, anxiety, depression, sleep quality, social support, and life satisfaction among university students. Methods: A quasi-experimental design with 128 participants assigned to an experimental group or a waiting-list control group was used. The experimental group completed a 12-week mindfulness meditation program. Pre- and post-tests included the PSS-10, Zung SAS, Zung SDS, PSQI, MOS-SS, and SWLS. Results: Post-intervention, the experimental group showed significant improvements versus controls across all variables (p < 0.05). Robust HC3 effect sizes were: stress (η² = 0.376), anxiety (η² = 0.538), depression (η² = 0.091), sleep quality (η² = 0.306), social support (η² = 0.704), and life satisfaction (η² = 0.510). Conclusion: Mindfulness meditation effectively reduced stress, anxiety, and depression, and improved sleep quality, social support, and life satisfaction in college students, supporting its utility in educational settings.