The role of mindfulness and self-compassion in the levels of stress and well-being of university students: A preliminary study

Abstract

Entering Higher Education is characterized by being one of the stages of life with high stress levels, impacting your mental health. Promoting mindfulness and self-compassion has been shown to have positive results in regulating psychological difficulties, chronic stress, and levels of well-being. The present study aimed to explore the role of mindfulness and self-compassion in stress levels and well-being in college students. The sample consisted of 27 students from Universidade Lusófona – Centro Universitário do Porto with an average age of 24, and 89% were female. Participants receive a set of online questionnaires. Regarding well-being, significant positive correlations were found with the factors of reduced isolation (p < .001), over-identification (p < .001) and non-judgment (p < .05). These three factors explained about 47.4% of the variability in well-being. Regarding stress, the predictors of not reacting, observing and reduced self-criticism explained 39.5% of the criterion variable. Reduced self-criticism (p <.05) and non-reaction (p <.05) emerged as significant predictors. The results point to the relationship and contribution of different dimensions of mindfulness and self-compassion to the levels of stress and well-being of mindfulness-based programs.