Mindfulness boosts student mental health during exams, study finds

an article by Sally Weale, Education correspondent published in the Guardian

Cambridge University research shows technique helps to build resilience among undergraduates even in periods of high stress


The study says mindfulness courses in universities could help prevent mental illness. Photograph: Dougal Waters/Getty Images

Mindfulness training helps build resilience in university students and improve their mental health, particularly during stressful summer exams, according to research from the University of Cambridge.

The study, which involved just over 600 Cambridge students, concluded that the introduction of eight-week mindfulness courses in UK universities could help prevent mental illness and boost students’ wellbeing at a time of growing concern about mental health in the higher education sector.

University mental health services have experienced a huge surge in demand, with the number of students accessing counselling rising by 50% between 2010 and 2015, exceeding growth in student numbers during the same period.

According to the study, published in the journal The Lancet Public Health, the prevalence of mental illness among first-year undergraduates is lower than among the general population, but it exceeds levels in the general population during the second year of university.

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