Mindfulness to improve the mental health of university students. A systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: This systematic review and meta-analysis was to analyze the effects of a mindfulness program on mental health in university students. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted using the databases Pubmed, Scopus, Web of Science and CINAHL. The selected studies had to incorporate a mindfulness intervention in university students. The methodological quality of the collected articles was evaluated using the PEDro scale. RESULTS: We initially identified 321 studies, of which 21 were included in this review. The interventions focused on mindfulness with durations ranging from 8 weeks to 3 months. The results demonstrated significant effects of a mindfulness intervention on mental health in university students. CONCLUSION: This systematic review and meta-analysis found that mindfulness is effective for improving the mental health of college students. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: identifier: CRD42023441453.