Dyadic Association Between New Parents' Mindfulness and Relationship Satisfaction: Mediating Role of Perceived Stress.

The transition to parenthood is marked by increased potential stressors and relationship satisfaction declines among new parents. Recently, it has been suggested that people with greater mindfulness perceived their environment as less stressful during difficult times in life, which in turn, is associated with greater relationship satisfaction. Accordingly, this dyadic diary study evaluated if perceived stress explains the link between new parents' mindfulness and relationship satisfaction. A total of 78 new parent couples (N = 156 participants; M = 6 months postpartum) provided ecologically valid perceived stress and relationship satisfaction data by responding to a questionnaire on their smartphones, between 7 p.m. and midnight, for 14 consecutive days. Data were analyzed using Actor-Partner Interdependence Mediation Model (APIMeM). Results revealed that parents with higher mindfulness reported lower perceived stress, which in turn was associated with them reporting higher relationship satisfaction. In addition, one's mindfulness was directly positively associated with their partner's relationship satisfaction. Lastly, when all partner effects between mindfulness, perceived stress and relationship satisfaction were tested together without defining specific partner paths, one's mindfulness was positively associated with their partners' relationship satisfaction. Our findings extend current knowledge on the dyadic association between mindfulness and relationship satisfaction during the transition to parenthood by highlighting perceived stress as a key variable underlying this relationship.

An online peer support program to improve mental health among university students: A randomized controlled trial.

Despite recent calls for more peer support initiatives aimed at promoting mental health in postsecondary institutions, those initiatives remain scarce. In this study, a multisite randomized controlled trial was designed to assess the effect of an online peer support intervention based on acceptance and commitment therapy using mental health and school indicators. Undergraduate students were recruited in three Canadian universities and randomly assigned to an intervention (n = 54) or a wait-list control group (n = 53). Compared to control participants, those who took part in the program self-reported reduced psychological inflexibility, stress, anxiety and depression, and increased psychological flexibility and well-being. The intervention had no effect on academic satisfaction and engagement. These results were found both in completer and intent-to-treat samples. The findings provide evidence that peer support may be a beneficial adjunct to mental health interventions offered to college and university students.

Processes of change within acceptance and commitment therapy for university students: Preliminary evidence from a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: This randomized controlled trial examined whether KORSA workshops indirectly influence anxiety, depression and stress symptoms among university students through their effect on two second-order psychological flexibility processes: 1) mindfulness and acceptance, and 2) commitment and behavior change. Participants: During the fall 2014 and the winter 2015 semesters, 124 students participated in the study. Methods: They were randomized to either a 4-week intervention group (n = 61) or a wait-list control group (n = 63). They completed measures of anxiety, depression, stress and psychological flexibility before and immediately after the intervention. Results: Bootstrapping-based mediation analyses showed that the intervention indirectly influenced symptoms reduction through its effect on acceptance and mindfulness processes, but not through commitment and behavior change processes. Conclusions: These initial findings suggest that contact with the present moment, acceptance, cognitive defusion and self as context are important processes of change through which KORSA workshops affect the students mental health.

Pilot study of a Web-based acceptance and commitment therapy intervention for university students to reduce academic procrastination.

Objective: This pilot study pursued two aims. The first was to investigate the feasibility and acceptability of a Web-based acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) intervention to reduce academic procrastination among university students. The second aim was to test the effectiveness of the intervention on procrastination and committed actions. Participants: The sample was comprised of Canadian university students (n = 36) that participated in the intervention between September 2016 and April 2017. Methods: The study relied on a prepost research design. Results: The intervention appears feasible, acceptable, and valuable to students. A significant reduction in procrastination and a significant improvement in committed actions were found between pre and postintervention. The effect sizes for these results were medium. Conclusions: Results provide preliminary support for the feasibility and effectiveness of a Web-based ACT intervention for academic procrastination. Results also highlight some aspects that need to be improved for further development.

The Use of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to Promote Mental Health and School Engagement in University Students: A Multisite Randomized Controlled Trial.

The aim of this multisite randomized controlled trial was to determine whether an intervention based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) was efficacious in improving university students' psychological flexibility, mental health, and school engagement. Students were recruited in four Canadian universities and randomly assigned to an intervention (n = 72) or a wait-list control group (n = 72). Students in the intervention group took part in four 2.5-hour workshops during a 4-week period and were asked to do exercises at home (e.g., meditation, observation grids). Wait-list students received the intervention soon after the post measurements. MANCOVAs and ANCOVAs revealed that students in the intervention group showed greater psychological flexibility at postintervention than those in the control group. They also reported greater well-being and school engagement, and lower stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms. Taken together, results of this study suggest that an ACT-based intervention offers a valuable way to promote mental health and school engagement in postsecondary settings.