Mindfulness for Tufts University Occupational Therapy Graduate Students
Authors:
Margaret Flanagan, OT/s, Margaret Morris, OTD, OT, BCP
Abstract:
Entry-level OT students experience above average stress related to coursework (Henton et al., 2021). The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of MIEA programming on Tufts OT graduate students’ mental health and well-being and identify participation barriers. Students participated in a 4-week MIEA program and completed testing materials (MAAS, CAMS-R, PSS, SCS, and goal attainment). One hundred percent of students reported meeting or progressing towards their goal and paired t-tests reveal a significant difference in post-test scores, indicating participants improved their mental health and well-being. In a barriers to participation survey, 45% of students indicate not being aware of mindfulness benefits. These results indicate a need for education on the practice and benefits to mindfulness for Tufts OT graduate students.
Key Words:
Mindfulness, benefits, barriers