Rose Seneviratne

Objectives: To examine concurrent associations among cognitive-affective factors associated with psychological distress in young adults. Methods: Cross-sectional structural equation modelling was conducted in a community sample of 841 young adults aged 18 to 30 years. Psychological distress was specified as a latent factor indicated by depressive symptoms (PHQ-9), anxious symptoms (GAD-7), and perceived stress (PSS-10). Mindfulness facets (FFMQ), metacognition (MSAS-18), resilience (ER89), and creativity (RDCA) were entered into two models with alternative structural orderings. Model fit was evaluated using the CFI, TLI, RMSEA, SRMR, AIC, and BIC.Results: Model 1 showed acceptable-to-good fit (CFI = .98, TLI = .94, RMSEA = .07, SRMR = .03) and better comparative fit than Model 2 (CFI = .97, TLI = .90, RMSEA = .09, SRMR = .06). Model 1 statistically accounted for 53.9% of the variance in latent psychological distress. Acting with awareness (β = -.29), nonjudging (β = -.39), and nonreactivity (β = -.20) showed unique negative associations with distress, whereas observing showed a small positive association (β = .08). Resilience showed a direct negative association and negative indirect associations in configurations involving acting with awareness, nonjudging, and nonreactivity. Metacognition showed negative indirect associations involving acting with awareness and nonreactivity. Creativity showed a bivalent pattern: a positive indirect association involving observing and a negative indirect association involving nonreactivity.Conclusions: Acting with awareness, nonjudging, and nonreactivity showed the clearest unique associations with lower psychological distress in young adults. These findings identify candidate self-regulatory capacities for prospective testing in preventive and therapeutic intervention research.

Background: Mindful activities are recommended to support and improve student wellbeing. Mindful colouring in particular is a low-cost, low-effort intervention shown to improve student wellbeing, mental health, and mindfulness. Less evidence exists about the effectiveness of different colouring formats, such as paper versus digital. This study investigated a self-guided two-week colouring intervention for university student wellbeing, comparing outcomes between paper-based and digital engagement.Methods: Two-hundred and ninety-seven participants completed at least six sessions of self-guided colouring for 10 minutes over two weeks. Participants were assessed using self-report measures of quality of life, stress, anxiety, depression, and dispositional mindfulness pre- and post-intervention. Effects of colouring over time, and between groups were investigated with linear mixed‑effects models.Results: Significant improvements were noted in all outcome measures, with large effects for stress (η²ₚ = .26), depression (η²ₚ = .17), trait anxiety (η²ₚ = .16), medium effects for mindfulness (η²ₚ = .10), and quality of life (η²ₚ = .12), and small effects for state anxiety (η²ₚ = .03). There was a small but significant time x group interaction for dispositional mindfulness, where the digital colouring group experienced a greater increase in compared to the paper colouring group. Conclusion: Digital colouring has notable benefits to dispositional mindfulness. Regardless of format, mindful colouring can improve student quality of life, stress, anxiety, depression and dispositional mindfulness, when carried out regularly over two weeks. Colouring shows promise as a low-cost and accessible way to improve wellbeing in a higher education setting that promotes positive engagement with digital technology.

Objectives: Mindfulness-based programs (MBPs) are promising evidence-based interventions to mitigate the mental health crisis amongst young adults in the UK. This meta-analysis investigates MBPs’ impact on mental health outcomes and facets of mindfulness to inform the design of precise, evidence-based interventions addressing young adults' needs. Methods: Systematic searches were conducted using PubMed and Web of Science. Random-effects meta-analytic models were used on the primary (anxiety, depression, stress, distress, positive affect, and negative affect) and secondary outcomes (mindfulness and its facets; observing, describing, acting with awareness, nonjudging and nonreactivity). Mixed meta-regression models and subgroup analyses were used to explore study, sample, and intervention characteristics. Results: Across 120 eligible studies (N=5958 participants and N=6004 controls), MBPs significantly improved positive and negative affect with low heterogeneity (|gs| < 0.18) and high heterogeneity in other outcomes. Subgroup analyses identified that MBSR and MBSR-based programs improved anxiety and depression (gs = -0.26), mindfulness apps improved depression and stress (gs < -0.48), and mindfulness meditation practices improved anxiety, distress, and mindfulness (gs < 0.65). Hybrid, online and self-guided delivery were effective for anxiety, depression and mindfulness (gs < 0.57). Meta-regressions identified that hybrid and self-guided delivery were more effective than face-to-face in improving anxiety, observing, and nonreactivity (bs > 0.74).Conclusions: MBPs are useful tools to enhance mental health and facets of mindfulness in young adults. The significant residual heterogeneity necessitates further examination of potential sources of heterogeneity, specifically around the features of face-to-face MBPs and combined mindfulness programs (CMPs).

Background: Mindful activities are recommended to support and improve student wellbeing. Mindful colouring in particular is a low-cost, low-effort intervention shown to improve student wellbeing, mental health, and mindfulness. Less evidence exists about the effectiveness of different colouring formats, such as paper versus digital. This study investigated a self-guided two-week colouring intervention for university student wellbeing, comparing outcomes between paper-based and digital engagement.Methods: Two-hundred and ninety-seven participants completed at least six sessions of self-guided colouring for 10 minutes over two weeks. Participants were assessed using self-report measures of quality of life, stress, anxiety, depression, and dispositional mindfulness pre- and post-intervention. Effects of colouring over time, and between groups were investigated with linear mixed‑effects models.Results: Significant improvements were noted in all outcome measures, with large effects for stress (η²ₚ = .26), depression (η²ₚ = .17), trait anxiety (η²ₚ = .16), medium effects for mindfulness (η²ₚ = .10), and quality of life (η²ₚ = .12), and small effects for state anxiety (η²ₚ = .03). There was a small but significant time x group interaction for dispositional mindfulness, where the digital colouring group experienced a greater increase in compared to the paper colouring group. Conclusion: Digital colouring has notable benefits to dispositional mindfulness. Regardless of format, mindful colouring can improve student quality of life, stress, anxiety, depression and dispositional mindfulness, when carried out regularly over two weeks. Colouring shows promise as a low-cost and accessible way to improve wellbeing in a higher education setting that promotes positive engagement with digital technology.

Mindfulness-based interventions can successfully improve wellbeing in young adults. Mindful colouring is an applied mindfulness practice and improves short-term wellbeing. Less evidence is available about the effectiveness of regular, self-guided colouring. We investigated a self-guided two-week colouring intervention for university student wellbeing. One-hundred and forty university students completed a minimum of 10-min self-guided colouring, six times over two weeks. Participants were assessed at baseline and two-week follow-up using self-report measures of wellbeing, relating to quality of life, perceived stress, anxiety, depression, and mindfulness. Colouring significantly improved all measures of mental health, wellbeing and mindfulness in students who completed at least six sessions of self-guided colouring. Colouring is an accessible activity that can improve student wellbeing when carried out regularly over two weeks. Future research should investigate the impact of longer-term colouring practice on wellbeing, and the effect of this intervention in the general adult population.