The effects of a structured mindfulness program on the development of empathy in healthcare students

Abstract

A growing body of literature demonstrates that high levels of anxiety and stress-related health concerns are experienced by under-graduate university students, in particular medical and nursing students). For students to become effective healthcare professionals it is important that they have the mental and emotional skills to manage stress.Mindfulness training has been found to reduce stress in a variety of populations. The benefits of mindfulness training for student populations extend beyond stress reduction and include improved concentration and attention, faster information processing which enables better academic performance greater self-reflexivity, and increased student engagement. Mindfulness furthermore assists students to develop self-awareness and emotional regulation which enables greater perspective-taking and empathy.