Mindfulness and Academic Performance of College and University Students: A Systematic Review

Higher education's expectations place demands on students' attainment, leading them to experience stress and anxiety, which negatively affect their academic improvement and life satisfaction. The aim of this systematic review was to investigate (a) if mindfulness as an inner ability is related to academic attainment, through dependent variables, including compassion, engagement, stress or anxiety state, depression, self-efficacy, mindfulness's facets (non-reactivity, acting with awareness) and (b) if mindfulness-based interventions positively affect the academic performance of college and university students. The systematic review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA statement. PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library Wiley were screened to identify studies published relevant to the topic. In total, 568 papers were retrieved in the initial search. Five papers met the eligibility criteria and were included in the systematic review: a randomized controlled trial, a non-randomized controlled trial, a quasi-experimental study, a quantitative exploratory pilot study, and a longitudinal randomized controlled study. Most interventional studies revealed a non-significant direct effect of practicing mindfulness technique on academic attainment. Further research, especially randomized controlled trials are necessary to clarify the effect of mindfulness on academic performance of college and university students.

Quality of Life (QoL) among medical students in Saudi Arabia: a study using the WHOQOL-BREF instrument

BACKGROUND

Poor Quality of Life (QoL) among medical students is associated with an unhealthy lifestyle, psychological distress, and academic failure, which could affect their care for patients in the future. This study aimed to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Arabic WHOQOL-BREF tool among Saudi medical students and to assess the effect of gender, educational level, and academic performance on their QoL.

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional study among medical students of King Abdulaziz University in February 2016, using the Arabic version of the WHOQOL-BREF instrument.

RESULTS

Six-hundred-thirty medical students were included, where females constituted (51.1%). Cronbach's α coefficient for the overall domains of WHOQOL-BREF was 0.86. Students' self-reported QoL mean score was 3.99 ± 0.95, and their mean score for the overall satisfaction with health was 3.66 ± 1.06. The environmental domain had the highest mean score (67.81 ± 17.39). High achievers showed lower psychological health, while poor academic performance was associated with better psychological health and social relationship QoL scores (P < 0.013 and P < 0.014, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

The WHOQOL-BREF is valid and reliable for assessing QoL among Saudi medical students. Although gender and academic year had no impact on the students' QoL, better-performing students reported lower psychological health and social relationships scores.