“Adapted Learning to BREATHE Study Design: The Effect of Mindfulness Training on the Health, Well-being, and Interpersonal Relationship Quality of First-Year College Students”

College students face increased stress from various developmental, social, and academic demands (Towbes & Cohen, 1996). Mindfulness-based practices may be particularly relevant to first-year college students for the promotion of stress resilience and effective emotion regulation that may facilitate the transition to college (Shapiro et al., 2011). In the upcoming intervention, we will deliver an 8-session mindfulness program to 100 first-year undergraduate students at Penn State. The study will employ a college-adapted Learning to BREATHE (L2B) curriculum—an evidence-based, universal mindfulness program originally developed for adolescents. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive the L2B program or to a wait-list control group. Half of the L2B group will be randomized to also receive text messages reminding them to practice mindfulness techniques on daily basis. In addition to pre-, post-, and 3-month follow-up assessments, three 8-day bursts of ecological momentary assessments (EMA) of mindfulness, stress exposure and reactivity, and physical and mental health will be collected.