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Mental Health/Mindfulness/College (Mental Health Inside the Classroom…

- - - - In the definition of WHO, mental health is regarded as one of the needed factors for general health. According to the experts of this organization, health is a status of well-being of body, mind and society, and not only for the lack of disease (Boldero & Fallon, 1995). Kaplan and Sadock (1993) define the mental health as “a condition of well-being and the feeling in person when can come to terms with society, and personal situation and social features are satisfying for him/her”. Schutte et al. (2007) concluded that better health status is associated with higher emotional intelligence. Mental health is a successful mode of mental interaction that results in productive activities, satisfying relationships with others, ability to adapt to changes. Role of Mental health is undeniable from early childhood until death, helps in developing thinking skills, communication, learning, emotional growth, flexibility and self-esteem. These factors help individuals to play a good role in society (Seyyed Mohseni, 2006). (Jayalakshmi & Magdalin, 2015)
- - - - There is ample evidence that mindfulness increases well-being, reduces symptoms of common mental health problems such as anxiety and depression, and decreases emotional reactivity (Keng, Smoski, & Robins, 2011). In addition, the outward flow of positive feeling toward another or others has been the focus in the literature on compassion and loving kindness (Goetz, Keltner, & Simon-Thomas, 2010; Neff & Germer, 2013; Stellar & Keltner, 2014). But another aspect of compassion, particularly relevant to my community college students, is learning to be compassionate toward one’s self. This self-compassion has become an increasingly important focus in Western approaches to well-being because “we are very individualist and competitive, and therefore self-critical and shame prone” (Gilbert & Choden, 2014, p. 310). The kinds of self-judgment and self-talk we use with ourselves are undoubtedly a factor in our overall assessment of our worth. Self-kindness is a component of self-compassion that may not typically be cultivated in adult education classrooms but has been found to have beneficial outcomes related to allowing learners to be present, interested, and enthusiastic about learning (Neff & Germer, 2013). Given the stresses that many of our students face, a technique which allows them to quiet their internal dialogue and be open to their learning environment is important. (Martin, 2018)
        
        One caution in adapting Buddhist meditation practices for use in higher education is that recently, as Teri Hyland (2017) points out, mindfulness has become a business. Hyland names Jon Kabat-Zinn’s work with his mindfulness-based stress reduction program developed for medical patients as a significant source of the mindfulness lifestyle which has engulfed current culture. Kabat-Zinn (2015) made a similar point in describing his concerns that a sort of superficial “McMindfulness” is taking over which ignores the ethical foundations of the meditative practices and traditions from which mindfulness has emerged and divorces it from its profoundly transformative potential. Hyland includes society, individual self-esteem, and emotional well-being as dominant themes. In this context, meditation and mindfulness may be seen as another piece of the magic puzzle to personal fulfillment without necessarily understanding the cultivation of individual awareness that is central to Buddhist meditation and therefore serves to lessen the sufferings that are part of our present day social and economic realities. However, Hyland also points out, much of the controversy may be centered around counseling and therapy practices and not so evident in educational environments. (Martin, 2018)
- - - - Mental health of college students has become a growing concern. Mental illness has serious consequences on the academic success, productivity and social relationships. Empirical studies reveal the beneficial aspects of emotional intelligence and resilience and their remarkable contribution to interpersonal relationships, success in work and personal life, mental health, coping, managing stress, improving personality, enhancing performance and many more positive behavior patterns. (Jayalakshmi & Magdalin, 2015)
        
        During the first year of college in particular, students need to develop skills that would reinforce their ability to manage stress-related adversity. It has been documented that the first year of college can be associated with worsened psychological and physical health.47 We found similar phenomena in the control group as students reported a decline in life satisfaction and mental health, and increase in sleep issues, alcohol use, and consequences across the first semester. However, our pilot intervention findings suggest that through mindfulness training this pattern can be prevented and students’ wellbeing can even improve in the first semester. (Enriquez, Ramos, Esparza, 2017)
        
        Between 2001 and 2011, the traditional college-age sector of the U.S. population rose by 11%, and approximately 42% of these 18- to 24-yearolds were enrolled at this nation’s postsecondary institutions (Snyder & Dillow, 2013). During this same period, “mental, emotional, or psychiatric condition/depression” became the most prevalent category of postsecondary student disability designations, with an unprecedented increase of 42% from 2000 to 2008 (U.S. Government Accountability Office [GAO], 2009, p. 38). Mental disorders account for a larger burden of negative consequences among younger adults than any other health condition (Eisenberg, Hunt, & Speer, 2012; Michaud et al., 2006). Meanwhile, mental health services among young adults appear to be underutilized (Eisenberg, Hunt, & Speer, 2012; Hunt & Eisenberg, 2010). Recent reports in the mental health literature indicate that anywhere from 30% to 45% of college students in nonclinical campus samples report some form of mental health problem in the previous 12 months (American College Health Association [ACHA], 2013). Researchers have linked mental health with academic performance and educational attainment (Choi, Buskey, & Johnson, 2010; Lockard, Hayes, McAleavey, & Locke, 2012). In national data, Kessler and his colleagues found that nearly 4.3 million individuals did not complete college because of early onset psychiatric disorders (Kessler, Foster, Saunders, & Stang, 1995; see also National Alliance on Mental Illness [NAMI], 2012). Other investigators have observed that social and emotional adjustment difficulties predict college student attrition as well as or better than academic adjustment factors (Lee, Olson, Locke, Michelson, & Odes, 2009; Salzer, 2012). (Marsh & Wilcoxon, 2015)
        
        College students usualy face personal, socioeconomic and academic responsibilities that are often ignored (Barragán, Lewis, Palacios, 2007). Several studies shows that psychological problems suffered by college students are related to anxiety disorders, stress and fear of being evaluated (Salanova, Breso, & Schaufeli, 2005). These emotions have a really important and transcendental role on student’s lifestyle, their way of interacting with their own reality and their everyday life. Likewise, the increase of college workload, lack of motivation, the feeling of failure, hopelessness about the future or a low concept of auto efficacy have increased frustration expectancies among students because nowadays a bachelor’s degree is not enough for young people to find a good job (Tejedor & García Valcárcel, 2007). (Enriquez, Ramos, Esparza, 2017)
- - - - Mindfulness trainings also tend to improve awareness of one’s self and others, providing foundation for more compassionate behaviors.20 In our pilot study, we did not find significant results in either the domain of intrapersonal and interpersonal awareness. Previous studies have discussed the difficulties with measuring mindfulness and compassion because of numerous conceptual and methodological ambiguities.48,49 Also, it may be the case that involvement in mindfulness practices can lead one to become initially aware of one’s mindlessness in everyday life. In fact, this pilot intervention program had students differentiate between mindful and mindless activities and thus the intervention group was made more aware of when they were not mindful. More intensive assessments such as ecological momentary assessments that are collected closer to the activation time31 may increase the accuracy of reporting and reveal the underlying dynamics in these outcomes. .(Dvořáková,, Kishida, Elavsky, Broderick, Agrusti & Greenberg, 2017
      - Mindfulness can be conceptualized as a practice of accepting and non-judgmental attitude to the present moment thoughts and feelings15 which establishes a groundwork for intrapersonal and interpersonal awareness. Specifically, by cultivating non-judgmental attention and caring attitude toward body sensations, thoughts, and emotions, students may learn effective stress management techniques and emotion regulation skills. Furthermore, students may become better equipped to make healthier choices, develop healthy relationships, and be resilient to face challenges associated with the transition process.14 The burgeoning literature on mindfulness interventions in the college population has demonstrated a wide array of benefits including stress reduction,16,17 greater emotional wellbeing,18,19 and improved interpersonal relationships,20,21 as well as health-related behaviors, including the promotion of better sleep.22 A recent review of universal prevention programs for higher education students concluded that skills-oriented programs, in particular mindfulness and cognitive-behavioral strategies, were the most effective.23 The same was found for stress-targeted interventions for college students where the cognitive/behavioral/mindfulness-based programs consistently showed a positive impact on students’ psychosocial wellbeing.24 Despite the accumulating evidence, there is a lack of research on mindfulness-based trainings targeted to promote the first-year college students’ experiences. To date, there are two published studies that have implemented mindfulness-based programs during the first year of college. .(Dvořáková,, Kishida, Elavsky, Broderick, Agrusti & Greenberg, 2017)