Date of Defense

4-18-2025

Date of Graduation

4-2025

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Zeljka Vidic

Second Advisor

Mark St. Martin

Third Advisor

Anderson Boatman

Abstract

College can be marked with a time of excitement as well as new challenges. Traditional college students face challenges such as heightened academic obligations as well as navigating a new independent life (Barbayannie et al., 2022; Liu et al., 2019). Non-traditional college students face unique challenges such as family, finances, and other obligations (Andzik et al., 2022; Benshoff & Lewis, 1992; Pedrelli et al., 2014). The results of these challenges can lead to mental health struggles (Healthy Minds Network, 2021), such as enduring stress, which continues to be a prominent issue in higher education, particularly following the shift toward online learning and increased life demands (Nuryana et al., 2023). Online mindfulness interventions have gained popularity for their accessibility and potential benefits (Vilvens, 2020), with regard to regulating stress (Fagioli et al., 2023). There is limited research regarding the benefits of these types of interventions, comparing traditional and non-traditional college students. This study examined the effectiveness of an in-class, online mindfulness-based intervention in reducing perceived stress among college students. Participants (N = 87) were separated into two groups: traditional-aged students (n = 38) and non-traditional-aged students (n = 49). The focus of the online mindfulness intervention was designed to cultivate presence, awareness, a sense of relaxed ease, and spaciousness. All participants completed pre- to post-tests for the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) at the start and end of a semester-long online mindfulness intervention. An independent samples T-test revealed that both traditional and non-traditional students experienced reductions in perceived stress over the course of the intervention, however, the results were not statistically significant. While online in-class mindfulness interventions have been beneficial in the reduction of stress in college students (Gong et al., 2023), more research is needed to add to the limited research regarding traditional vs non-traditional students. Future research would be beneficial to further examine the effectiveness of these types of interventions with these populations.

Access Setting

Honors Thesis-Restricted

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