Abstract
Authors: Kelsey A. Stefan (1), Michael Villeneuve (1), Varun Konanki1, Erica Rarity (1), Rahul Mhaskar, MPH, PhD (1), Liwei Chen, PhD (1) and Amelia Phillips, MPH, CPH (1)
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Introduction: Dispositional mindfulness is the act of paying attention to one’s thoughts and feelings with an open and non-judgemental attitude. Medical students and resident physicians are under immense pressure and stress daily, and they need effective tools to help increase their dispositional mindfulness. This project examined the impact of a meditation intervention on medical students’ dispositional mindfulness.
Methods: In 2020, medical students and resident physicians at the University of South Florida were given the option to practice daily meditation for thirty days; time spent on the practice varied depending on comfort with the practice. Dispositional mindfulness levels were assessed using the Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) before and after the thirty-day intervention.
Results: Eighty-three students, residents, and fellows completed the 30-day program, including the baseline and follow-up measures. Overall levels of mindfulness significantly increased among medical students (p < 0.001). Higher MAAS scores were associated with a longer duration of meditation (10-20 days: p = 0.046, >20 days: p = 0.006). MAAS scores also significantly increased in female participants (p < 0.001).
Conclusion: Our intervention demonstrates that a 30-day meditation program may aid in fostering dispositional mindfulness among medical students while potentially promoting better wellness outcomes amongst physician learners.
Affiliation:
- Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA