A brief online mindfulness intervention: study protocol for Indonesian undergraduate students, a randomized controlled trial.

Elevated stress, anxiety, and depression are common among Indonesian undergraduates, but access to mental healthcare is difficult and costly, and many avoid professional help. This randomized controlled trial tests whether a 14-day online mindfulness intervention reduces stress, anxiety, depressive symptoms, and repetitive negative thinking (RNT) compared to psychoeducation and waitlist controls. The study also examines whether changes in RNT explain mindfulness's effects on these outcomes. Measures are taken at baseline, post-intervention, and at a 3-month follow-up. The trial aims to provide evidence that a brief, accessible online mindfulness program could be a low-threshold strategy for improving mental health in Indonesia.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Elevated levels of stress, anxiety, and depression persist among undergraduate students in Eastern countries, including Indonesia. Access to mental healthcare resources, however, remains difficult and costly for most young people. Furthermore, there is a strong tendency to avoid seeking professional help. The primary aim of this study is to investigate the effects of a brief 14-day online mindfulness intervention in reducing stress, anxiety, depressive symptoms, and repetitive negative thinking (RNT) among a representative sample of Indonesian undergraduate students. Given the mixed empirical evidence on the role of RNT in mindfulness, the secondary aim is to investigate the mediating role of RNT in the effects of mindfulness on stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. Within this study, participants assigned to the mindfulness intervention will be compared to those allocated to psychoeducational and waitlist conditions. The Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale 21 (DASS-21), the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaires (FFMQ), and the Perseverative Thinking Questionnaire (PTQ) will be assessed at baseline, post-condition evaluation, and a subsequent follow-up assessment 3 months following the intervention period. Throughout the intervention phase, participants will complete daily questionnaires and have the option to maintain a daily journal. The findings from this randomized controlled trial will provide evidence for the possible effectiveness of a brief online mindfulness intervention on stress, anxiety, depression, and RNT. This online intervention could serve as an easily accessible and low-threshold strategy conducive to enhancing mental health and well-being of the Indonesian population. NCT05882565 (ClinicalTrials.gov), retrospectively registered on May 21, 2023.