A Pilot Study of an Online MBCT Adaptation to Enhance Mental Health in University Students

University students are particularly vulnerable to mental health problems due to factors like stage of the life span and high academic pressure. The current study aimed to assess the feasibility and effectiveness of the online version of the Mindfulness- and Compassion-Based Program (MCBP) for University Life, a promising 6-week instructor-led mindfulness- and compassion-based program tailored for university students. The study followed an uncontrolled design. A total of 21 higher education students (76.2% women; 25 ± 5.68 years old) from the European University of Valencia (Spain) participated in the study. Participants were assessed with self-report measures at baseline, at the end of the 6-week intervention, and at 6-month follow-up. Participants engaged well with the course and formal home practice, attending at least 5 sessions and meditating nearly 4 days per week. There were significant improvements in well-being, psychological distress, insomnia, self-compassion, mindfulness skills, decentering, and self-critical rumination. All those changes remained significant at follow-up except for insomnia levels. Changes in well-being were significantly correlated with changes in self-compassion and decentering. Changes in psychological distress were significantly correlated with changes in self-critical rumination levels. This online intervention could be feasible and effective for enhancing mental health among university students. However, additional robust research with a larger sample size plus a control group is needed to further validate these outcomes. The study was not registered in a clinical trials registry, as it was designed as a pilot feasibility study.