Using Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Increasing Medical Students’ Resiliency to Stress: Quasi-experimental Study
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Abstract
Objective: This study aims to compare resilience quotient between students given mindfulness-based therapy (Mindfulness Group) and students given advice therapy (Advice Group).
Methods: The study is conducted on the basis of a quasi-experimental design. Two types of the therapy are given to students through a simple random sampling method. There are 40 students in the mindfulness group and 40 students in the advice group. Data are collected in pre-intervention, week 4 and week 8. We used two main assessments: 1) the Suanprung Stress Test-20;SPST-20 and 2) the Resilience Quotient;RQ. Data are analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent sample t-test and paired-sample t-test.
Results: The average stress scores in pre-intervention, week 4, and week 8 of students in the Mindfulness Group were 49.20, 46.30, and 47.98, and those of students in the Advice Group were 47.48, 46.95, and 46.78, respectively. Both groups had no statistical difference (p>0.05). After the intervention, the Mindfulness Group had a resilience quotient of 55.98 at week 4 and 55.48 at week 8, while the Advice Group had a resilience quotient of 55.78 and 55.88, respectively. The comparison of resilience quotient in each aspect between pre-intervention, week 4, and week 8 found that students in the Mindfulness Group had increased resilience quotient regarding problem management in week 8 (p<0.05) but students in the Advice Group had increased resilience quotient regarding encouragement in week 8 (p<0.05), showing that students in the Mindfulness Group and Advice Group had no difference of resilience quotient (p>0.05).
Conclusion: The study results indicated that consultants or advisors should combine mindfulness-based therapy with advice therapy by focusing on students’ needs, which shall lead to the development resilience quotient among students.
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