CAN EMOTIONAL BALANCE TRAINING REDUCE STRESS AND ANXIETY, AND PROMOTE TRAIT MINDFULNESS AMONG COLLEGE STUDENTS? - A BRAZILIAN INVESTIGATION

Stress in the academic environment can lead to negative consequences in concentration, memory, and problem solving, which affect student retention and academic success. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of an emotional balance training in the levels of anxiety, depression and mindfulness in college students. Method: A pretest/posttest design with 59 undergraduate and graduate female students (treatment group (TG): n = 27; control group (CG): n = 32) in a Brazilian public university was performed between October and December 2016. TG completed an 8-week program with the Cultivating Emotional Balance (CEB) based course and Hatha Yoga exercises. All participants completed self-report questionnaires at baseline and after 8 weeks (Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Lipp Stress Symptoms Inventory for adults (LSSI), and the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS)). Results: Anxiety (t(26) = 2.57; p =.016) and depression scores (t(26)= 3.63, p =.001) were significantly reduced at the posttest. Results for MAAS (t(26) = -1.663; p =.108) was not significant in TG. Conclusions: The CEB based course (CEB short version) associated to Hatha Yoga exercises were able to reduce the anxiety and depressive symptoms in college students.