Roberto Chiodelli

This study sought to develop the Loneliness and Solitude Scale (LSS) a scale intended to assess and differentiate loneliness and solitude. The loneliness dimension analyses how often an individual perceives being on their own as negative, unsatisfactory, and distressful; the solitude dimension refers to the frequency with which someone interprets their solitary moment as something positive, valuable, and pleasing. The collected sample for this research was comprised of 724 Portuguese speakers’ adults, demonstrating adequate psychometric indicators. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis showed the two dimensions, as expected. The results also indicate that the levels of Loneliness and Solitude are not dependent on gender, academic background, and age. In addition, the associations between the two factors of the LSS and emotion regulation, depression, anxiety, and stress corroborate previous literature findings. Cluster analysis allowed for further analysis, showing that stress, when controlling for emotional regulation, seems to have a weak effect on loneliness, a fact that is under some dispute in the current literature. This paper was able to develop and validate a unique measure of loneliness and solitude, centered around the unique characteristics of how individuals make use of their time spent alone. Future studies should attempt to compare this measure with other similar scales.

Background: Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) are a widely validated approach for the treatment and prevention of various pa-thologies, leading to increased physical and psychological health. Online MBIs have become more common in the past years, namely after the COVID-19 pandemic, but not much is known about their effectiveness. This study’s goal was to compare the efficacy of a face-to-face MBI with its online equivalent.Participants and procedure: A total of 114 university students of multiple nationalities participated in the investigation. This is a quasi-experimental study, with pre-, post-, and 3-month follow-up comparative measurements in two types of group formats: in-person groups and synchronous online groups.Results: The results showed benefits for participants in both the face-to-face and online interventions. Anxiety was significantly re-duced at post-test, while stress, depression, and emotion regulation difficulties were significantly reduced at post-test and at follow-up. Furthermore, well-being and optimism were significantly increased at post-test and at follow-up. Between-group comparisons indicated higher efficacy for these variables in the online group.Conclusions: The fact that differential outcomes were observable for mindfulness and one of the expected mechanisms, in goal-directed thinking, while no significant differences were present for any outcome, shines a light on possible hidden mechanisms that differentiate how online interventions function when compared to their face-to-face counterparts. Despite these differences, the findings support the viability of online mindfulness interventions as an alternative to in-person formats. The present study adds to current knowledge about mindfulness interventions by supporting the feasibility of online mindfulness interventions.

Rates of mental health issues have been increasing among university students. This study investigates the effects of the Interculturality and Mindfulness Program (PIM) on academic students on mindfulness, emotional regulation, depression, anxiety, stress, life satisfaction, optimism, positive solitude, and loneliness. A quasi-experimental research was conducted, with pre- and post-test comparative measurements in three groups: in-person (IG), synchronous online (OG), and passive control (CG). A diverse group of students (n = 150; mean age = 25.4 ± 8.31) participated from two universities in Portugal. When compared to the CG, both active groups (IG and OG) demonstrated a beneficial interaction effect in acceptance, positive solitude, optimism, and mindfulness. The IG demonstrated a positive interaction effect in awareness and satisfaction with life, whereas the OG indicated a favorable interaction effect in impulse. When analyzing the intra-group effects, both active groups presented a significant improvement in stress, emotion regulation, mindfulness, positive solitude, and optimism. The OG demonstrated an improvement in awareness and loneliness. The main limitations of this research are that students were not randomly assigned, and groups were heterogeneous in nationality, education level, and sex. Nonetheless, PIM has indicated beneficial results in both IG and OG, and is a promising intervention for the prevention of mental health issues (e.g., stress, difficulties in emotional regulation, and loneliness), as well as for the promotion of well-being (e.g., positive solitude, mindfulness, life satisfaction, and optimism).

Objective: To describe how mindfulness-based intervention (MBIs) are held with undergraduate students, systematize the outcomes of these interventions and indicate possible limitations. Method: Systematic searches were performed in seven databases in January 2019 with the following descriptors: (“mindfulness intervention” AND (“undergraduate” OR “college” OR “students”). Results: A total of 510 articles were found, and 19 articles fully met the inclusion criteria. The searches showed a visible growth in this field of research as articles publications increased in the past years. Regardless of intervention’s length, most studies reported beneficial effects. The examination of Anxiety, Stress, and Depression constructs have shown to be predominant. Even though study designs were mostly randomized controlled trials (RCT), it was noticed a shortage use of physiological measures and follow-up assessments. Conclusions: Nonetheless, MBIs have shown to be promising interventions to promote mental health in academic settings.

Mindfulness-based interventions have been applied in diverse populations and achieved mental health benefits. This study examined the effects of a brief mindfulness program for emotional regulation and levels of mindfulness on senior students in Brazil. The intervention consisted of six weekly meetings attended by 30 participants. It is a pre-experimental research, with pre- and post-test comparative and correlation measurements. The preliminary results, which relied on parametrical and non-parametrical tests, revealed a reduction in total emotional regulation difficulties (p = 0.0001; r = − 0.55). Also, there was an increase in the levels of mindfulness in the subtests for both dimensions under evaluation: “Awareness” (p = 0.0001; d = 0.77) and “Acceptance” (p = 0.048; d = 0.37). By associating the amount of meditative practices performed by students with the variables, a significant positive correlation was found with the mindfulness dimension “Awareness” (rP = 0.422; p = 0.020), and there was a significant negative correlation with Difficulties in emotion regulation (rS = − 0.478; p = 0.008) and with its respective subscales “Non-acceptance” (rS = − 0.654; p = 0.0001) and “Clarity” (rS = − 0.463; p = 0.010). In conclusion, the application of a brief mindfulness-based intervention is promising in Brazilian university contexts; moreover, it can bring benefits to students, e.g., an increase in emotion regulation as well as in levels of mindfulness. We suggest that further research should use an experimental design and follow-up.