• Afonso Damião Neto, Lucchetti Alessandra Lamas Granero ALG School of Medicine, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora, MG, Brazil., da Silva Ezequiel Oscarina O School of Medicine, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora, MG, Brazil., and Giancarlo Lucchetti.
• School of Medicine, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora, MG, Brazil.
• J Gen Intern Med. 2020 Mar 1; 35 (3): 672-678.

BackgroundTeaching mindfulness techniques has been used in the attempt to prevent mental health problems in medical students. Although it has already shown promising results when offered to volunteers, the use as a required strategy is still controversial.ObjectivesTo verify the efficacy of teaching mindfulness techniques to large groups when made part of a required discipline at the beginning of medical training.DesignRandomized controlled trial PARTICIPANTS: First-year medical students at the Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Brazil METHOD: Students were randomized into two groups: an intervention group (receiving a 6-week mindfulness protocol) and a control group (given a 6-week course containing organizational aspects of the medical school).Main MeasuresIntervention and control groups were compared on the levels of quality of life (WHOQOL-Bref), stress, anxiety and depression (DASS 21) and the facets of mindfulness (FFMQ) at baseline and at the end of the intervention.ResultsA total of 141 students were included in the study, 70 in the intervention group and 71 in the control group. No significant differences were found between the intervention and control groups in all mental health, quality of life, and FFMQ scores (Cohen's d = 0.01 to 0.14). Likewise, no significant gains in mental health measures, quality of life, and FFMQ were identified in the intervention group when compared with the control group (Cohen's d = 0.02 to 0.33).ConclusionsThe incorporation of a required mindfulness course for large groups in the curriculum during the first semester of medical training was not associated with an improvement on medical students' mental health and quality of life.Clinical Trials RegistrationNCT03132597.

14 keywords...

hide…