Abstract:

College students cope with a variety of academic, social, and personal challenges. Recent research has suggested high rates of anxiety and depression among college students, as well as other mental health problems. All of this may have not only a negative impact on the students’ wellbeing but also on their academic performance. Furthermore, research shows how during critical stress periods college students tend to include risky habits as part of their lifestyle. For these reasons, in recent years, it has become evident the necessity of adopting appropriate and effective measures, and different mindfulness programs are being implemented for the college students. Some universities have implemented standardized protocols, but it can also be observed that some universities are designing and implementing their own programs, using the scientific knowledge available and adapting it to the academic context.

In this regard, we introduce the mindfulness protocol developed at the University of Zaragoza. In this communication, we describe the structure of this protocol, which has as main objective to increase the well-being of university students, favoring stress management and self-compassion management of difficult situations. It consists of 6 group sessions, 90 minutes/session. The effectiveness of this protocol is being evaluated and aims to contribute to the advancement of scientific knowledge in the field.

Keywords:

Protocol, mindfulness, college students, wellbeing.