The Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based-Stress-Reduction for Military Cadets on Perceived Stress. Issue 4 (August 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Chen, Yeh-Hung; Chiu, Fa-Chung; Lin, Yao-Nan; Chang, Yu-Lin
• Is Part Of: Psychological reports. Volume 125:Issue 4(2022)
• Page Start: 1915
• Page End: 1936
• Publication Date: 2022-08
• Subjects: MBSR-MC -- mindfulness -- perceived stress -- military cadets -- mediating effect; Psychology -- Periodicals; Psychiatry; Psychology; Psychologie -- Périodiques; Psychology; 150.5
• DOI: 10.1177/00332941211010237
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0033-2941

Abstract

This study aimed to develop a program of mindfulness-based stress reduction for military cadets (MBSR-MC). On the basis of a pretest–posttest design, participants were assigned to either a control or an experimental group to examine the effectiveness of MBSR-MC. First, 60 volunteering cadets of National Defense University were randomly assigned to the MBSR-MC group ( n = 30) and the control group ( n = 30). In the pretest, all participants were required to complete the Taiwanese version of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (T-FFMQ) and a perceived stress scale (PSS). Subsequently, the MBSR-MC group participated in the 8-week MBSR-MC program, whereas the control group did not receive any experimental treatment. One week following the completion of the program, a posttest consisted of the same questions as the pretest was conducted. Statistical analysis showed that (1) Comparing with the control group, the MBSR-MC group showed superior performance in three subscales of T-FFMQ, namely Acting with awareness, Non-judgment, and Non-reactivity. However, no significant difference was found in the remaining two facets: Observing and Describing. (2) The perceived stress score of the MBSR-MC group was significantly lower than that of the control group. Furthermore, an analysis of mediating effect showed that Acting with awareness, Non-judgment, and Non-reactivity were mediating variables of the relationship between MBSR-MC and perceived stress. The aforementioned results indicated that MBSR-MC training significantly increased military cadets' Acting with awareness, Non-judgment, and Non-reactivity, thereby significantly reducing their perceived stress. Therefore, this study supported the effectiveness of the MBSR-MC program on perceived stress.