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Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a significant mental health concern on university campuses. It has been proposed that dispositional mindfulness, which may be fostered through mindfulness practice, may have important benefits for university students with a history of NSSI through its positive impact on coping self-efficacy. However, students' receptivity to mindfulness practice may be an important precursor to their ability to incur the benefits of dispositional mindfulness. This study sought to explore the interrelations between NSSI history, mindfulness receptivity, dispositional mindfulness, and coping self-efficacy among a sample of 246 university students (Mage = 21.53 years). Mindfulness receptivity was found to be positively predictive of coping self-efficacy; dispositional mindfulness fully mediated this relationship for participants with a history of NSSI, but did not mediate this relationship for those without such a history. Findings provide preliminary evidence for the importance of mindfulness receptivity in fostering dispositional mindfulness and coping self-efficacy in university students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stressful experiences are abundant in university and students with a history of nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) may be hyper-reactive to stress. While brief mindfulness inductions have been proposed as a buffer against acute stress, whether they function differently in students with a history of NSSI remains in question. This study sought to explore the impact of an online mindfulness induction on (a) two facets of state mindfulness (i.e., mind and body) and (b) state stress, following a stress induction task, in university students with versus without a history of NSSI. Participants were Canadian university students with (n = 82; M age = 21.30 years, SD = 2.92; 87.8% female) and without (n = 82; M age = 21.71 years, SD = 3.18; 87.8% female) a history of NSSI, matched on gender, age, and faculty, who completed baseline (T1) measures of state stress and state mindfulness. Participants were randomly assigned to complete a mindfulness induction or an active control task. All participants then underwent a stress induction, and again completed measures of state stress and state mindfulness (T2). Results from three-way mixed ANOVAs revealed that state stress increased from T1 to T2 for all participants, regardless of group or condition. Among those assigned to the control condition, state mindfulness of the body was lower at T2 for participants with a history of NSSI compared to those without such a history. However, participants with a history of NSSI who completed the mindfulness induction reported greater state mindfulness of the body at T2 than students with a history of NSSI who completed an active control task. Findings highlight the unique response of university students with a history of NSSI to a brief mindfulness induction. Implications are discussed in the context of future research and clinical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mindfulness-based programming comprising both formal (FM) and informal (IM) mindfulness practice is increasingly offered to university students. However, difficulties with emotion regulation, self-criticism, and a potentially complex relationship with their body may undermine the benefits of FM for students with a history of nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), given its requirement of sustained attention on thoughts, emotions, and bodily sensations. IM may be better tolerated by these students. This protocol describes a randomized controlled trial comparing a brief FM practice, a brief IM practice, and an active control task in university students with and without recent NSSI. Recruitment began in November 2022. An online, parallel-group, single-blind, randomized controlled trial will compare a 10-min, single-session FM practice, a 10-min, single session IM practice, and a 10-min, single session active control task in university students with and without recent NSSI. Outcomes will be assessed immediately pre-intervention and within five minutes post-intervention. The primary outcome will be state mindfulness. Secondary outcomes will be state stress, state well-being, and acceptability. Students with a history of NSSI are expected to report (i) greater improvements in state mindfulness, stress, and well-being, and (ii) greater acceptability in the IM condition, relative to the FM and control conditions. This distinction is not expected to occur in the no-NSSI comparison group. This trial is the first to parse out the impacts of FM versus IM practice among university students with and without a history of self-injury. Findings will be relevant to academic and clinical audiences within university settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]