MINDFULNESS by JENNIFER CANAVAN B.S., Eastern Illinois University, 2015 A Research Paper Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Health Education Research Methods I & II Department of Health Studies in the College of Education and Professional Studies Eastern Illinois University April, 2014
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MINDFULNESS
by
JENNIFER CANAVAN
B.S., Eastern Illinois University, 2015
A Research Paper Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the
Health Education Research Methods I & II
Department of Health Studiesin the College of Education and Professional Studies
CHAPTER 5 – Summary, Conclusions, Discussion and Recommendations…....22
REFERENCES ………………………………………………………………………….30
APPENDICIES
Appendix- A Mindfulness Survey ……………………………………………….35
Appendix- B Consent form ……………………………………………………...39
ii.
iABSTRACT
An Abstract of the Research Paper OfJennifer Canavan, Bachelors of Science Degree in Health Studies
TITLE: THE ROLE OF MINDFULNESS AND OVERALL INDIVIDUAL WELLNESS IN RELATION TO A HEALTHY MIND AND BODY AMONG COLLEGE-AGED STUDENTS
PROFESSOR: Dr. Misty RhoadsThe purpose of this study was to further investigate the role of mindfulness in relation to
overall wellness. The study also focused on college- aged students’ knowledge, attitudes, and
behaviors in concern to mindfulness in order to gather information of how it can correlate with
students overall wellbeing. The study included a sample of 25 college aged students from a
public University in the Midwest and included both males and females between the ages of 18 –
25. The survey given to the participants included 21 questions that examined their current
knowledge and behaviors concerning the topic. It was able to conclude from my study that
majority of students do understand the mind plays an important role in one’s physical health and
it is possible to maintain control of their own thoughts. Although, it was brought into being that
less than half of the respondents currently practice mindfulness as a daily routine.
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
While the majority of healthcare emphasizes largely on physical health aspects;
“It has been suggested that the practice of mindfulness may facilitate insight, which can
be understood as awareness of oneself and ones motives” (Richards, Campenni, Muse-Burke,
2010, p.251). In eastern culture it is known the mind plays a significant role in an individual’s
health, immunity, and wellbeing (Stossel, 2008).The Greeks referred to health as the physics, or
the healing force within; thus health, in relation to wellness, needs to be recognized as a
continual process of self-discovery manifesting a positive influence on the world around us in
order to live a healthy and satisfying life (Pelletier, 1994). Mindfulness is shown to positively
relate too existential wellbeing, or a measure in which individuals discover meaning and
contentment throughout their lives (Prazak, Critelli, Martin, Miranda, Purdum, & Powers, 2012).
“Cognitive theorists describe mindfulness as a form of attention awareness in which
thoughts can be observed in non-judging, de- centered, and non – attached ways” (Frewen,
Evans, Maraj, Dozois, & Partridge, 2007, para.4). Whatever the mind expects its finds for the
mind foresees a happy, joyous life (Sasson, 2011). Negative thoughts, on the other hand, create
unhappy actions and views in one’s life and it takes awareness of the negative thought to replace
it with a constructive one (Sasson, 2011).
For the purpose of improving physical, mental, spiritual, and emotion health individuals
practice the mind body self-regulation technique known as biofeedback in which people learn to
voluntary control what were once thought as involuntary body processes (Frank, Khorshid,
Kiffer, Moravec, McKee, 2010). External stressors such as psychological stress, injury, or
interpersonal conflict can disturb the voluntary processes but through exercising control
mechanisms, positive in addition to negative feedback loops can be learned to create function
and stability within an individual (Lehrer & Eddie, 2013) Biofeedback has the power to help
people stay centered on the present, and in learning to train important mindfulness and
meditation techniques in effecting positive changes in one’s overall health (Edwards, 2011).
Statement of the Problem
The effect of stress among college students is extremely overlooked. According to the
National Alliance on Mental Illness “More than 80% of students felt overwhelmed by all they
had to do in the last year and 45% have felt things were worthless” (NAMI, n.d., para.
2).Furthermore, “Mindfulness is often used as one aspect of treatment for a range of issues, such
as anxiety, depression, substance abuse, binge eating disorder, and chronic pain” (Brown
University Health Education, 2014, para.4). Studies show that mindfulness based practices
directly relate to a healthier body and mind; although less than half of respondents said to
practice mindful based practices within their everyday lives. It is important to recognize that
practicing meditation is the actual process of the brain changing itself; recognizing the foods we
eat, how much we exercise, and acts of compassion are all major aspects that can ultimately
affect a person’s overall health (Stahura, 2012). Yoga exercises are used in maintaining physical
and mental fitness by attaining peace within the body and mind by making individuals more
consciously aware of their own health and wellness (Rathore & Choudhary, 2013).
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this study was to gather information on college-aged students’
knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors concerning mindfulness in regard to an individual’s overall
wellness.
Research Question
What are college-aged students’ knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors concerning
mindfulness in regard to overall wellness?
Sample
The sample consisted of 25 college- aged students from a Midwest public state
University with an enrollment of around 10,000 plus or minus. Both men and women between
the ages of 18-25 were used within the study. All subjects of the study completed a consent form
that provided them with the necessary information. The subjects were chosen at random
throughout the college campus. Most participates subsisted in off campus housing; which is
fairly common among the students who attend the University.
Data Collection
This data was attained from a convenience sample, a type of non-probability sampling, at
a Midwestern public University. The subjects consisted of both males and females with an age
range of 18-25, and were commonly used due to their availability. The consent forms included
with the survey are to remain confidentially in the professor’s office and to be kept for five years.
The surveys were given to a variety of students throughout the campus for a week’s period. After
the collection period of the date, the data was summarized into quantitative data and the central
tendency.
Limitations
Prominent limitations of this study included the sample population, the time given to
collect data, and the time allotment of the entire study. As stated in chapter three, the sample
population consisted of 25 students of whom attended the same University. A larger sample of
participants from a variety of college campuses among the Midwest could have provided more
data resulting in different results. Meanwhile, the two-week time frame given to collect data
imposed another limitation on the number of participants. In a larger time frame more surveys
could have been completed. The last limitation imposed on the study included the time available
for the entire study. The complete study was to be met at a specific date and time in order to
meet requirements of University policy.
Definition of Terms
For the purpose of this literature review, the terms referred to in this study are operationally defined as follows:
Reiki: An ancient Japanese form of healing founded on the notion that an energy flow that supports life exists within all living beings. The word Reiki means universally guided or spiritual life energy, and consists of the two Japanese words Rei, which means “the hidden force” or “spiritual” and “Ki”, or “life energy” (Herron-Marx, Price-Knol, Burden, & Hicks, 2008).
Yoga: “Science of mental control” (Rathore & Choudhary, 2013).
Biofeedback: “A mind body technique in which individuals learn how to modify their physiology for the purpose of improving physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health” (Frank, Khorshid, Kiffer, Moravec, McKee, 2010).
Wellness: “The quality or state of being in good health especially as an actively sought goal” (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, 2013a).
Spirituality: “The quality or state of being concerned with religion or religious matters; the quality or state of being spiritual” (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, 2013b).
Mediation: “ A practice of concentrated focus upon a sound, object, visualization, the breath, movement, or attention itself in order to increase awareness of the present moment, reduce stress, promote relaxation, and enhance personal and spiritual growth” (The Free Dictionary, 2013).
Physicalsim: “A thesis that the descriptive terms of scientific language are reducible to terms which refer to spatiotemporal things or events or to their properties” (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, 2013c).
Automatic Thinking: “Having a self – acting or self – regulating mechanism” (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, 2013d).
Existential: “Grounded in existence or the experience of existence” (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, 2013e).
Cognitive: “Of relating too, or involving conscious and mental activities” (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, 2013f).
Physiological: “Characteristic of or appropriate to an organism’s healthy or normal functioning” (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, 2013g).
Ruminative: “To turn a matter over and over in the mind” (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, 2013h)
Chapter 2
Literature Review
In recent findings from healthcare reviews there has been an increase of social scientific
research establishing that mindfulness based practice is associated with improved mental and
physical health that assists in establishing and maintaining one’s overall wellness (Harvey,
2009). While the majority of healthcare emphasizes largely on physical health aspects; “it has
been suggested that the practice of mindfulness may facilitate insight, which can be understood
as awareness of oneself and ones motives” (Richards, Campenni, Muse-Burke, 2010, p.251).The
following literature review looks at how understanding the power of the mind is essential to
maintaining complete physical and mental wellness.
Background
In eastern culture it is known the mind plays a significant role in an individual’s health,
immunity, and wellbeing (Stossel, 2008).The Greeks referred to health as the physics, or the
healing force within; thus health, in relation to wellness, needs to be recognized as a continual
process of self-discovery manifesting a positive influence on the world around us in order to live
a healthy and satisfying life (Pelletier, 1994). Mindfulness is shown to positively relate too
existential wellbeing, or a measure in which individuals discover meaning and contentment
throughout their lives (Prazak, Critelli, Martin, Miranda, Purdum, & Powers, 2012).
Mindfulness
The practice of mindful based thoughts and attitudes do not occur overnight; thus in order
to turn the mind toward positive thinking, training and inner works is vital (Sasson, 2011).
Mindfulness is obtained through a persistent practice of ones awakening to life’s present moment
experiences (Brewer, Bowen, Smith, Marlatt, & Potenza, 2010). Approaches to mindfulness are
used to present new ways of responding to life experiences in order to establish a deeper sense of
wellbeing and health into individual’s lives (Harvey, 2009).For example, research indicates that
mindfulness based training can be effective in decreasing habitual ruminative thinking in relation
to stress and depression (Brewer et al., 2010) in which both can affect the overall wellness of the
mind and body relationship.
Awareness
Mindfulness is understood as knowledge about the self, and awareness of one’s own
experience in the present moment (Richards et al., 2010). An internal awareness of one’s
emotions and cognitions correlates with the internal and external role of mindfulness in
acquaintance to establishing ones cognitions and emotions within their surrounding environment
(Richards et al., 2010). Mindfulness has no expectations or intrinsic rules since it embraces the
arising of the present moment (Harvey, 2009). Ones behaviors, emotions, and thoughts are
considered a state, or situational (Richards et al., 2010). When individuals are mindful and stay
focused on the present moment the mind calms and suffering eases improving mood, the immune
system, decreases of stress, and promotes healing within people (Leo, 2011).
The Control of Positive and Negative Thinking
“Cognitive theorists describe mindfulness as a form of attention awareness in which thoughts can
be observed in non-judging, de- centered, and non – attached ways” (Frewen, Evans, Maraj,