Dr. Audrey Hager, assistant professor of Psychology, and honors student Marion Naple, a senior Psychology major, presented research at the Penn-York Undergraduate Research Association Annual Conference Nov. 15. The conference was hosted by the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford.

The poster presentation was titled “Effects of brief in-class mindfulness practice on stress and coping mechanisms in undergraduate students.” This pilot data (n=27) suggests that just five minutes of brief guided mindfulness practice at the start of Monday/Wednesday/Friday classes can have a significant reduction in college student stress scores compared to a control condition.

Participants also reported a better ability to control maladaptive emotional responses and cope with stressors. The mindfulness practice was a professor-led reading of scripts adapted from the Healthy Minds Innovations App (free and available to all). The research is ongoing to assess more comprehensive measures of stress and stress management among college students. Overall, this research is important to determine if mindfulness activities should be incorporated into college student lectures to promote positive mental health strategies.

The Pennsylvania - New York Undergraduate Research Association (PYURA), founded in 1998, is a loose association of colleges and universities along the western and central Pennsylvania - New York state borders. The annual conference was first hosted by the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford’s campus in 1999.