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ObjectiveAlthough studies with short and intermediate observation time suggest favorable outcomes in regard to eating disorders (ED), there is limited knowledge on long‐term outcomes. The present study aimed to investigate the 5‐ and... more
ObjectiveAlthough studies with short and intermediate observation time suggest favorable outcomes in regard to eating disorders (ED), there is limited knowledge on long‐term outcomes. The present study aimed to investigate the 5‐ and 17‐year outcome of adult patients with longstanding ED who were previously admitted to an inpatient ED unit. ED diagnoses and recovery, comorbid and general psychopathology, along with psychosocial functioning and quality of life were evaluated.MethodSixty‐two of the 80 living patients (78% response rate) with anorexia nervosa (n = 23), bulimia nervosa (n = 25), or other specified feeding or eating disorders (n = 14) at admission were evaluated. The mean age at the 17‐year follow‐up point was 46.2 (SD 7.5). The Eating Disorder Examination (EDE) was used to assess recovery. The Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (M.I.N.I.) and self‐report instruments provided additional information.ResultsThere was a significant reduction in patients fulfilling criteria for an ED from the 5‐year to the 17‐year follow‐up, meanwhile recovery rates were stable. A total of 29% of the patients were fully recovered and 21% were partially recovered while the remaining 50% had not recovered. No significant changes were found in any self‐report measures and more than 70% had a comorbid disorder at both assessments.DiscussionThe findings illustrate the protracted nature of ED for adults with longstanding ED. A long illness duration prior to treatment is unfortunate and early detection and treatment is advisable.
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ObjectiveThe high burden of eating disorders (EDs) and limited availability of treatment speaks of a need to explore new avenues for treatment delivery. To understand if new treatment avenues are helpful and acceptable to patients, we... more
ObjectiveThe high burden of eating disorders (EDs) and limited availability of treatment speaks of a need to explore new avenues for treatment delivery. To understand if new treatment avenues are helpful and acceptable to patients, we investigated the effectiveness of Physical Exercise and Dietary Therapy (PED‐t) in participants with bulimia nervosa or binge‐eating disorder, and acceptability when the PED‐t was implemented in a Healthy Life Center in a municipal primary healthcare service.MethodExercise physiologists and one dietitian were trained in ED literacy and to run PED‐t, before screening women for eligibility. Effectiveness (n = 16) of PED‐t and participants' experiences (n = 8) were evaluated by a mixed methods study design. Results were analyzed by relevant statistics and reflexive thematic analysis.ResultsOf 19 eligible participants, 16 completed treatment. At post‐treatment, the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire global score, binge‐eating frequency, and symp...
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PurposeTo examine high school students’ disclosure of sexual harassment and abuse (SHA), and awareness of reporting systems and support mechanisms in school among students, leaders, and coaches.MethodNorwegian 17-year-old high school... more
PurposeTo examine high school students’ disclosure of sexual harassment and abuse (SHA), and awareness of reporting systems and support mechanisms in school among students, leaders, and coaches.MethodNorwegian 17-year-old high school elite athletes (n = 630), recreational athletes (n = 307), and reference students (n = 263) responded to an online questionnaire at two measurement points, 1 year apart (T1 and T2). Leaders and coaches (n = 249) at the participating high schools responded to an adapted version of the questionnaire at T1. Data were analyzed using ANOVA or Welch test, Pearson Chi-Square test, and McNemar test.ResultsIn total, 11.4 and 34.0% of the adolescents were aware of reporting systems and support mechanisms, respectively, in their schools. Nearly all the leaders, and half of the coaches were aware of these resources. Among the adolescents with lifetime experience of SHA, 20.1% had disclosed their experiences to someone. Girls disclosed more frequently than boys. The...
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Purpose Chaotic eating and purging behavior pose a risk to the metabolic health of women with bulimia nervosa (BN) and binge-eating disorder (BED). This study reports on one-year changes in blood markers of metabolic health and thyroid... more
Purpose Chaotic eating and purging behavior pose a risk to the metabolic health of women with bulimia nervosa (BN) and binge-eating disorder (BED). This study reports on one-year changes in blood markers of metabolic health and thyroid hormones in women with BN or BED attending two different treatments. Methods These are secondary analyses from a randomized controlled trial of 16-week group treatment of either physical exercise and dietary therapy (PED-t) or cognitive behavior therapy (CBT). Blood samples collected at pre-treatment, week eight, post-treatment, and at 6- and 12-month follow-ups were analyzed for glucose, lipids (triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), LDL cholesterol (LDL-c), HDL cholesterol (HDL-c), apolipoprotein A (ApoA) and apolipoprotein B (ApoB) lipoproteins), and thyroid hormones (thyroxine (T4), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), and thyroperoxidase antibodies). Result The average levels of blood glucose, lipids and thyroid hormones were within the recomm...
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Talent-school settings may generate stress via demanding expectations. To investigate students representing Norway’s growing phenomenon of early adolescent talent schools, we interviewed twenty-seven 14- to15-year-old boys and girls about... more
Talent-school settings may generate stress via demanding expectations. To investigate students representing Norway’s growing phenomenon of early adolescent talent schools, we interviewed twenty-seven 14- to15-year-old boys and girls about their experiences with self- and socially imposed expectations. Students were recruited from two sports schools (n = 14) and one school each with talent classes for ballet (n = 7) and music (n = 6). Using reflexive thematic analysis, we found four main themes representing the performers’ accounts of (a) self-oriented expectations of persistent hard work, evoking self-doubts, and never-give-up attitudes; (b) coaches’/teachers’ socially prescribed expectations, stimulating hard work, and pursuit of approval and opportunities; (c) parental expectations, reflected as helpful support, concerns of letting parents down, and negotiating independence; and (d) struggles with balancing expectations, reflected by demanding workloads, difficulties with prioriti...
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Patient and public involvement (PPI) in research has the potential to improve research validity and relevance. Objectives: To explore how PPI has been carried out and how its impacts have been reported in occupational therapy (OT) health... more
Patient and public involvement (PPI) in research has the potential to improve research validity and relevance. Objectives: To explore how PPI has been carried out and how its impacts have been reported in occupational therapy (OT) health research. Methodology: Scoping review based on a search in four databases for OT research with descriptions of PPI, published between 2010 and 2020. Results: Across the 17 included studies PPI was reported in all stages of research. Descriptions of how PPI was carried out varied across the studies, and details with respect to the kind of approach used were lacking. Positive impacts on research design, research ethics, public collaborators and researchers were reported, but only anecdotally. Reflections and challenges related to PPI were also addressed. Implications: In future studies, comprehensiveness and consistency is needed to document the diversity of how PPI is carried out in OT health research.
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Enduring low energy availability (LEA) is associated with several potentially serious physiological and mental conditions. LEA has been found highly prevalent among female elite athletes within endurance sports, thus hampering athletes’... more
Enduring low energy availability (LEA) is associated with several potentially serious physiological and mental conditions. LEA has been found highly prevalent among female elite athletes within endurance sports, thus hampering athletes’ health and performance. The prevalence and the underpinning risk factors of LEA among female elite football players are less studied. One reason is that the existing self-report measures and technological devices to monitor energy intake and expenditure are inadequately adapted to capture the nature of the physical activity and energy expenditure among football players and are thus inaccurate.The present paper outlines a study protocol addressing the prevalence of LEA, the measurement of LEA and the correlations of LEA in terms of health and performance in female football players. Four studies will be conducted with the following aims (1) to evaluate the accuracy of global positioning systems (GPS)-based devices to monitor energy expenditure with ind...
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Abstract: Background: Students of clinical psychology and medicine experience high levels of mental distress and low levels of life satisfaction. Using adaptive coping strategies can modify the negative effect of stressors on health.... more
Abstract: Background: Students of clinical psychology and medicine experience high levels of mental distress and low levels of life satisfaction. Using adaptive coping strategies can modify the negative effect of stressors on health. Mindfulness, it has been claimed, more adaptive coping with stress, yet few studies have investigated whether mindfulness training influences the use of coping strategies in non-clinical populations. Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of mindfulness training on the use of engagement and disengagement coping strategies in a student population, here measured by problem-focused coping, avoidance focused coping, and the seeking of social support. We also explored whether personality (neuroticism, conscientiousness and extraversion) moderated the effects of the mindfulness intervention on coping. Method: The design was a two-centre randomized controlled trial with pre- and post-intervention data collection. The main effects of th...
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Objective: This study aimed to estimate the number of weekly users of protein, creatine, and dieting supplements and to explore whether weekly use was related to eating disorder (ED) risk factors, exercise, sports participation, and... more
Objective: This study aimed to estimate the number of weekly users of protein, creatine, and dieting supplements and to explore whether weekly use was related to eating disorder (ED) risk factors, exercise, sports participation, and immigrant status.Methods: In total, 629 and 1,060 high school boys and girls, respectively, self-reported weekly frequency of protein, creatine, and dieting supplement use, and weight and shape concerns, appearance internalization and pressure, self-esteem, mental distress, physical activity level, exercise context, and the type and weekly frequency of sport played. Multiple hierarchical regression analyses were performed to investigate explanatory factors for supplement use.Results: More boys than girls used protein and creatine supplements. Immigrant boys had more frequent use of all supplements than non-immigrant boys, and immigrant girls used creatine supplements more frequently than non-immigrant girls. In total, 23–40 and 5–6% of the variation in t...
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Objectives Positive embodiment and healthy lifestyle habits seem to be related; therefore, stimulating positive embodiment should promote healthy lifestyle habits. In the current study, we delivered the Healthy Body Image (HBI)... more
Objectives Positive embodiment and healthy lifestyle habits seem to be related; therefore, stimulating positive embodiment should promote healthy lifestyle habits. In the current study, we delivered the Healthy Body Image (HBI) intervention among Norwegian high school students and examined the effects on healthy lifestyle habits. Methods The HBI intervention comprises three interactive workshops, with three overarching themes related to body image, social media literacy, and lifestyle. A total of 2446 boys (43%) and girls in grade 12 (mean age 16.8 years) from 30 high schools participated in this cluster-randomized controlled study. Schools were randomized to the HBI intervention or control study arm. Data on physical activity, eating habits, and sleep were collected at baseline, post intervention, and 3- and 12-month follow-up and analyzed using linear mixed regression models. Results The intervention had a minor negative effect on physical activity levels in boys at 12-month follo...
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ObjectivesTo study the expectations women with bulimia nervosa (BN) or binge eating disorder (BED) had to a new treatment programme based on guided physical exercise and dietary therapy.Design and participantsSemistructured interviews... more
ObjectivesTo study the expectations women with bulimia nervosa (BN) or binge eating disorder (BED) had to a new treatment programme based on guided physical exercise and dietary therapy.Design and participantsSemistructured interviews were conducted with six women with BN and four women with BED following a group-based therapy programme. Transcribed interviews were analysed using a text-condensing analytic approach.ResultsThe analysis resulted in three main categories, that is, expectations about (1) increased knowledge, (2) symptom changes and (3) therapeutic expertise. The women expected that learning more about nutrition and physical exercise would give them more energy, less fear of food, physical and mental symptoms and a negative body focus. They also expected therapists to be professional and competent, and able to take care of them.ConclusionThe overall high and positive treatment expectation can, to some extent, reflect enthusiasm about a new and innovative approach to trea...
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Research Interests: Research Methodology, Eating Disorders, Diet, Qualitative Research, Exercise therapy, and 13 moreMedicine, Interviewing, Bulimia Nervosa, Therapeutics, Attitude, Patient Satisfaction, Credibility, Binge Eating Disorder, Clinical Competence, Combined Modality Therapy, Psychology and Cognitive Sciences, Medical and Health Sciences, and treatment effectiveness
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This paper reviews experience and empirical findings with respect to preventing eating disorders. In essence, the evidence is quite disappointing; no studies have shown major and lasting effects. This is because of methodological flaws,... more
This paper reviews experience and empirical findings with respect to preventing eating disorders. In essence, the evidence is quite disappointing; no studies have shown major and lasting effects. This is because of methodological flaws, errors in programme designs and imprecise or unrealistic outcome measures. Some developments stand out as more promising: first, developing universal, preventive strategies that take into account knowledge about how to change attitudes and behaviour; second, replacing short-lived classroom educational programmes with strategies involving parents and the community at large. Within such an ecological and health promoting paradigm the focus is not to prevent serious eating disorders, but to modify the culture of body dissatisfaction. This focus can be integrated into preventing obesity in order to reduce the risk of conflicting public messages.
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The purpose of the study was to assess the accuracy of commonly used GPS/accelerometer-based tracking devices in the estimation of exercise energy expenditure (EEE) during high-intensity intermittent exercise. A total of 13 female soccer... more
The purpose of the study was to assess the accuracy of commonly used GPS/accelerometer-based tracking devices in the estimation of exercise energy expenditure (EEE) during high-intensity intermittent exercise. A total of 13 female soccer players competing at the highest level in Norway (age 20.5 ± 4.3 years; height 168.4 ± 5.1 cm; weight 64.1 ± 5.3 kg; fat free mass 49.7 ± 4.2 kg) completed a single visit test protocol on an artificial grass surface. The test course consisted of walking, jogging, high-speed running, and sprinting, mimicking the physical requirements in soccer. Three commonly used tracking devices were compared against indirect calorimetry as the criterion measure to determine their accuracy in estimating the total energy expenditure. The anaerobic energy consumption (i.e., excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, EPOC) and resting time were examined as adjustment factors possibly improving accuracy. All three devices significantly underestimated the total energy con...
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Background: Many programs are launched aiming to raise knowledge and competence in treating eating disorders, yet few of them have been evaluated. Methods and Findings: Using a pre-post and one-year repeated measures design we evaluated a... more
Background: Many programs are launched aiming to raise knowledge and competence in treating eating disorders, yet few of them have been evaluated. Methods and Findings: Using a pre-post and one-year repeated measures design we evaluated a 17-month interprofessional education program (Body and Self-Esteem) comprising a national cohort of participants (n = 845) enrolled from 1998 to 2010. The purpose of the program is to raise health professionals’ 1) knowledge, 2) confidence, 3) clinical competence, and 4) to promote an understanding of how patient care can be organized in an interdisciplinary fashion. The program format consists of five to six one- to three-day seminars with plenary lectures, and four to six closed network groups. The detected changes in all four outcomes were unrelated to program-irrelevant covariates. Program satisfaction was high, and on par with initial expectations. Conclusions: Limited by the fact that a randomized controlled design was impossible to use, a re...
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Persons with bulimia nervosa (BN) or binge eating disorder (BED) have an elevated risk of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). However, lowering this risk is rarely addressed in standard cognitive-behavioral treatment (CBT). We aimed to... more
Persons with bulimia nervosa (BN) or binge eating disorder (BED) have an elevated risk of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). However, lowering this risk is rarely addressed in standard cognitive-behavioral treatment (CBT). We aimed to compare CBT with an intervention combining physical exercise and dietary therapy (PED-t), and hypothesized that the PED-t would do better than CBT in lowering the risk of NCD both initially and longitudinally. In this study, 164 women with bulimia nervosa or binge eating disorder were randomly assigned to 16-weeks of outpatient group therapy with either PED-t or CBT. Body composition (BC) was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Measures of physical fitness (VO2peak and one repetition maximum (1RM) in squats, bench press, and seated row) were also recorded. All measurements were completed baseline, post-treatment, and at 6- and 12-month follow-ups, respectively. Our results showed that PED-t improved more than CBT on mean (99% CI) absolute Vo2p...
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Longitudinal research investigating the enduring impact of mindfulness training is scarce. This study investigates the six-year effects of a seven-week mindfulness-based course, by studying intervention effects in the trajectory of... more
Longitudinal research investigating the enduring impact of mindfulness training is scarce. This study investigates the six-year effects of a seven-week mindfulness-based course, by studying intervention effects in the trajectory of dispositional mindfulness and coping skills, and the association between those change trajectories and subjective well-being at six-year follow-up. 288 Norwegian medical and psychology students participated in a randomized controlled trial. 144 received a 15-hour mindfulness course over seven weeks in the second or third semester with booster sessions twice yearly, while the rest continued their normal study curricula. Outcomes were subjective well-being, and dispositional mindfulness and coping assessed using the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire and the Ways of Coping Checklist. Analyses were performed for the intention-to-treat sample, using latent growth curve models. At six-year follow-up, students receiving mindfulness training reported increased...
Research Interests: Sociology, Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Science Policy, Mindfulness, and 15 moreMedicine, Multidisciplinary, Norway, Medical Students, Humans, Female, Male, PLoS one, Health Care Professionals, Longitudinal Studies, Adult, Randomized Controlled Trial, Dispositional Mindfulness, Mindfulness training, and Psychology Students
Psychological distress is increasing among adolescents and clusters with other mental health problems such as eating problems. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of psychological distress among young elite athletes... more
Psychological distress is increasing among adolescents and clusters with other mental health problems such as eating problems. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of psychological distress among young elite athletes and age-matched controls and whether prevalence figures may be attributed to perfectionism and eating problems. First-year athletes from all Norwegian elite sport high schools (n=711) and 500 students from randomly selected ordinary high schools were eligible for this cross-sectional study. In total, 611 athletes and 355 student controls provided self-report data about psychological distress, perfectionism, and eating problems (ie, body dissatisfaction and a drive for thinness), as well as their physical training/activity. A significantly higher proportion of controls scored above the cutoff point for marked psychological distress. Physical activity above the recommended levels for this age group predicted psychological distress among the controls, wh...
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Women with bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder often suffer for many years before they seek professional help. Evidence-based treatments like cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) might be poorly accessible, and about 50% of those who... more
Women with bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder often suffer for many years before they seek professional help. Evidence-based treatments like cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) might be poorly accessible, and about 50% of those who receive CBT respond to it. Such outcome may reflect the heterogeneous nature of eating disorders, and addressing this heterogeneity calls for expanding the portfolio of treatment options. In particular, it is important to explore such options' acceptability, tolerability and affordability expressed through experiences with the treatment. This protocol outlines the rationale and design of a qualitative study. It captures experiences from patients and therapists who were involved in a randomised controlled trial (RCT) exploring the efficacy of a new group-based treatment programme combining physical exercise and dietary therapy. 15 patients with bulimia nervosa or binge eating disorder, 10 therapists (physical trainers and dietitians) and 6-10 pa...
Research Interests: Nutrition and Dietetics, Eating Disorders, Food and Nutrition, Qualitative Research, Adolescent, and 15 moreMedicine, Bulimia Nervosa, Norway, Humans, Exercise and physical activity for health, Female, Cognitive Therapy, RCT, Diet Therapy, Exercise, Adult, Randomized Controlled Trial, Binge Eating Disorder, Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic, and Interviews as topic
The aim of the current study is to explore how therapists running a guided physical exercise and dietary therapy programme (PED-t) experience their contribution to the treatment of patients with bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder.... more
The aim of the current study is to explore how therapists running a guided physical exercise and dietary therapy programme (PED-t) experience their contribution to the treatment of patients with bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder. Ten therapists running the PED-t were semistructurally interviewed and the transcribed interviews were analysed using a systematic text condensation approach. The study was run within the context of a randomised controlled trial at the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences. The therapists experienced their knowledge about physical exercise and nutrition as important and useful, and that they could share their knowledge with the patients in different ways and with confidence in their own role. They also believed that their knowledge could serve as tools for the patients' post-treatment recovery and management of their daily lives. Moreover, the therapists put much effort in adjusting their teaching to fit each individual participant. Finally, they r...
Research Interests: Nutrition and Dietetics, Eating Disorders, Quality of life, Food and Nutrition, Norwegian, and 14 moreHealth experiences, Medicine, Bulimia Nervosa, Norway, Humans, Exercise and physical activity for health, Female, Male, Diet Therapy, Exercise, Adult, Binge Eating Disorder, In Depth Interviews, and Interviews as topic
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Sufferers from bulimia nervosa (BN) and binge eating disorder (BED) underestimate the severity risk of their illness and, therefore, postpone seeking professional help for years. Moreover, less than one in five actually seek professional... more
Sufferers from bulimia nervosa (BN) and binge eating disorder (BED) underestimate the severity risk of their illness and, therefore, postpone seeking professional help for years. Moreover, less than one in five actually seek professional help and only 50% respond to current treatments, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). The impetus for the present trial is to explore a novel combination treatment approach adapted from physical exercise- and dietary therapy (PED-t). The therapeutic underpinnings of these separate treatment components are well-known, but their combination to treat BN and BED have never been previously tested. The purpose of this paper is to provide the rationale for this new treatment approach and to outline the specific methods and procedures. The PED-t trial uses a prospective randomized controlled design. It allocates women between 18 and 40 years (BMI range 17.5-35.0) to groups consisting of 5-8 members who receive either CBT or PED-t for 16 weeks. Excess...
Research Interests: Psychology, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Nutrition and Dietetics, Quality of life, Adolescent, and 15 moreExercise therapy, Medicine, Bulimia Nervosa, Prospective studies, Humans, Exercise and physical activity for health, Female, Cognitive Therapy, Diet Therapy, Exercise, Clinical Sciences, Adult, Binge Eating Disorder, Cogntive Behavioural Therapy, and Binge eating
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To investigate how women with bulimia nervosa (BN) and binge eating disorder (BED) experience participating in a new treatment programme for eating disorders, based on guided physical exercise and dietary therapy. Six women with BN and... more
To investigate how women with bulimia nervosa (BN) and binge eating disorder (BED) experience participating in a new treatment programme for eating disorders, based on guided physical exercise and dietary therapy. Six women with BN and four with BED were semistructurally interviewed. Transcribed interviews were analysed using a text-condensing analytic approach. The analysis resulted in four main categories: (1) 'a renewed attitude towards physical activity', (2) 'a new perception of food', (3) 'mixed feelings of being in a heterogeneous treatment group' and (4) 'insight in one's own recovery process', each with 2-4 subcategories to express nuances. The treatment was experienced as beneficial. Improvements in the implementation of the programme were suggested. NCT02079935.
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Background: Sufferers from bulimia nervosa (BN) and binge eating disorder (BED) underestimate the severity risk of their illness and, therefore, postpone seeking professional help for years. Moreover, less than one in five actually seek... more
Background: Sufferers from bulimia nervosa (BN) and binge eating disorder (BED) underestimate the severity risk of their illness and, therefore, postpone seeking professional help for years. Moreover, less than one in five actually seek professional help and only 50% respond to current treatments, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). The impetus for the present trial is to explore a novel combination treatment approach adapted from physical exercise-and dietary therapy (PED-t). The therapeutic underpinnings of these separate treatment components are well-known, but their combination to treat BN and BED have never been previously tested. The purpose of this paper is to provide the rationale for this new treatment approach and to outline the specific methods and procedures.
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Background: Distress and burnout among medical and psychology professionals are commonly reported and have implications for the quality of patient care delivered. Already in the course of university studies, medicine and psychology... more
Background: Distress and burnout among medical and psychology professionals are commonly reported and have
implications for the quality of patient care delivered. Already in the course of university studies, medicine and
psychology students report mental distress and low life satisfaction. There is a need for interventions that promote
better coping skills in students in order to prevent distress and future burnout. This study examines the effect of a
seven-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) programme on mental distress, study stress, burnout,
subjective well-being, and mindfulness of medical and psychology students.
Methods: A total of 288 students (mean age = 23 years, 76% female) from the University of Oslo and the University
of Tromsø were randomly allocated to an intervention or control group. The control group continued with their
standard university courses and received no intervention. Participants were evaluated using self-reported measures
both before and after the intervention. These were: the ‘General Health Questionnaire, Maslach Burnout Inventory
Student version, Perceived Medical School Stress, Subjective Well-being, and Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire’
and additional indices of compliance.
Results: Following the intervention, a moderate effect on mental distress (Hedges’g 0.65, CI = .41, .88), and a small
effect on both subjective well-being (Hedges’g 0.40, CI = .27, .63) and the mindfulness facet ‘non-reacting’
(Hedges’g 0.33, CI = .10, .56) were found in the intervention group compared with the control group. A higher level
of programme attendance and reported mindfulness exercises predicted these changes. Significant effects were
only found for female students who additionally reported reduced study stress and an increase in the mindfulness
facet ‘non-judging’. Gender specific effects of participation in the MBSR programme have not previously been
reported, and gender differences in the present study are discussed.
Conclusion: Female medical and psychology students experienced significant positive improvements in mental
distress, study stress, subjective well-being and mindfulness after participating in the MBSR programme.
implications for the quality of patient care delivered. Already in the course of university studies, medicine and
psychology students report mental distress and low life satisfaction. There is a need for interventions that promote
better coping skills in students in order to prevent distress and future burnout. This study examines the effect of a
seven-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) programme on mental distress, study stress, burnout,
subjective well-being, and mindfulness of medical and psychology students.
Methods: A total of 288 students (mean age = 23 years, 76% female) from the University of Oslo and the University
of Tromsø were randomly allocated to an intervention or control group. The control group continued with their
standard university courses and received no intervention. Participants were evaluated using self-reported measures
both before and after the intervention. These were: the ‘General Health Questionnaire, Maslach Burnout Inventory
Student version, Perceived Medical School Stress, Subjective Well-being, and Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire’
and additional indices of compliance.
Results: Following the intervention, a moderate effect on mental distress (Hedges’g 0.65, CI = .41, .88), and a small
effect on both subjective well-being (Hedges’g 0.40, CI = .27, .63) and the mindfulness facet ‘non-reacting’
(Hedges’g 0.33, CI = .10, .56) were found in the intervention group compared with the control group. A higher level
of programme attendance and reported mindfulness exercises predicted these changes. Significant effects were
only found for female students who additionally reported reduced study stress and an increase in the mindfulness
facet ‘non-judging’. Gender specific effects of participation in the MBSR programme have not previously been
reported, and gender differences in the present study are discussed.
Conclusion: Female medical and psychology students experienced significant positive improvements in mental
distress, study stress, subjective well-being and mindfulness after participating in the MBSR programme.