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. 2017;8(5):1393-1407.
doi: 10.1007/s12671-017-0715-0. Epub 2017 Apr 28.

A Randomized Controlled Pilot Intervention Study of a Mindfulness-Based Self-Leadership Training (MBSLT) on Stress and Performance

Juliane Sampl  1 , Thomas Maran  1   2 , Marco R Furtner  1
Affiliations

A Randomized Controlled Pilot Intervention Study of a Mindfulness-Based Self-Leadership Training (MBSLT) on Stress and Performance

Juliane Sampl et al. Mindfulness (N Y). 2017.

Abstract

The present randomized pilot intervention study examines the effects of a mindfulness-based self-leadership training (MBSLT) specifically developed for academic achievement situations. Both mindfulness and self-leadership have a strong self-regulatory focus and are helpful in terms of stress resilience and performance enhancements. Based on several theoretical points of contact and a specific interplay between mindfulness and self-leadership, the authors developed an innovative intervention program that improves mood as well as performance in a real academic setting. The intervention was conducted as a randomized controlled study over 10 weeks. The purpose was to analyze the effects on perceived stress, test anxiety, academic self-efficacy, and the performance of students by comparing an intervention and control group (n = 109). Findings demonstrated significant effects on mindfulness, self-leadership, academic self-efficacy, and academic performance improvements in the intervention group. Results showed that the intervention group reached significantly better grade point averages than the control group. Moreover, the MBSLT over time led to a reduction of test anxiety in the intervention group compared to the control group. Furthermore, while participants of the control group showed an increase in stress over time, participants of the intervention group maintained constant stress levels over time. The combination of mindfulness and self-leadership addressed both positive effects on moods and on objective academic performance. The effects demonstrate the great potential of combining mindfulness with self-leadership to develop a healthy self-regulatory way of attaining achievement-related goals and succeeding in high-stress academic environments.

Keywords: Academic performance; MBSLT; Mindfulness; Mindfulness-based self-leadership training; RCT intervention; Self-leadership; Stress; Test anxiety.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. The manuscript does not contain clinical studies or patient data.

Informed Consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study. Details that might disclose the identity of the subjects under study have been omitted.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Illustration of developments of a mindfulness, b self-leadership, c stress, d test anxiety, e academic self-efficacy over time, and f academic performance posttreatment. Error bars represent standard errors. T1 first measurement point, T2 second measurement point
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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