Feasibility pilot of a brief mindfulness intervention for college students with posttraumatic stress symptoms and problem drinking
Open accessAbstract
Objective A significant subset of college students experience PTSD symptoms, and many engage in problematic alcohol use. Some college students with PTSD symptoms may use alcohol and other substances to cope with their symptoms, and those with PTSD experience more negative alcohol and drug consequences than those without PTSD. Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBIs) have been successfully utilized for individuals with PTSD or substance use disorders. However, to date, no studies have evaluated MBIs for college students with co-occurring PTSD symptoms and problem drinking.Method This study was a feasibility pilot of a 4-week group loving-kindness meditation (LKM) intervention, a practice of intentionally directing well wishes to oneself and others. LKM was compared to referral to treatment as usual (RTAU) for non-treatment seeking college students (N=75) with PTSD symptoms and problem drinking.Results Overall, the LKM group had low to moderate feasibility and acceptability among college students, as recruitment was lower than expected and attendance at LKM groups was modest. Participants' PTSD symptoms, drinking quantity, and negative drinking consequences decreased, and state mindfulness increased over the course of the study, but there were no significant differences between LKM and RTAU on these outcomes. Additionally, higher coping drinking motives predicted greater PTSD symptoms and more drinking consequences over the course of the study.Conclusions Effective interventions for college students with PTSD symptoms and problematic alcohol use are needed, especially for individuals who drink to cope with their PTSD symptoms. Future research on LKM that addresses the limitations of the current study is warranted.
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Valenstein-Mah et al. reported an effect size between 0.23 and 0.88, suggesting a low to high effect of mindfulness intervention on reducing PTSD symptoms and alcohol consumption; limitations include smaller than expected sample size and limited assessment of alcohol consumption.
“Valenstein-Mah et al. [40]: An effect size between 0.23 and 0.88 is reported, suggesting a low to high effect of Mindfulness intervention on reducing post-traumatic stress symptoms and alcohol consumption among young adults. However, limitations such as the smaller than expected sample size and limited assessment of alcohol consumption may influence the generalizability of the results.”
From Third-Generation Therapies for the Management of Psychoactive Substance Use in Young People: Scoping Review (2024) · cites this paper as [40]
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Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe effects of third-generation therapies demonstrate greater long-term efficacy than immediate post-treatment improvements, indicating that benefits may continue to increase after treatment ends.
“In this context, it has been shown that the effects of third-generation therapies demonstrate greater long-term efficacy than immediate post-treatment improvements, indicating that the benefits of these interventions may continue to increase even after the treatment ends [36,40].”
From Third-Generation Therapies for the Management of Psychoactive Substance Use in Young People: Scoping Review (2024) · cites this paper as [40]
The Results (Impact of intervention on PTSD symptoms) report that PTSD symptoms decreased at each assessment through the one-month follow-up. But the Discussion (Efficacy) says reductions also occurred in the comparison group and that the mindfulness intervention showed no greater benefit at post-treatment or follow-up. The paper therefore does not establish greater long-term efficacy for third-generation therapies than immediate post-treatment improvement. (LLM, conf=0.84)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredMany studies used small samples, limiting statistical power and generalizability, and short-term interventions and limited follow-ups make it challenging to evaluate sustainability of therapeutic effects.
“Another limitation relates to sample sizes and intervention durations. Many studies utilized small samples, limiting statistical power and the generalizability of results, as observed in Nguyen et al. [41] and Valenstein-Mah et al. [40]. Short-term interventions and limited follow-ups also make it challenging to evaluate the sustainability of therapeutic effects over time.”
From Third-Generation Therapies for the Management of Psychoactive Substance Use in Young People: Scoping Review (2024) · cites this paper as [40]
In Discussion > Limitations and future directions (page unavailable), the paper says its smaller-than-anticipated sample reduced power to detect differences between conditions. Discussion > Efficacy and Results (pages unavailable) describe a four-week intervention and a one-month follow-up. The paper does not establish that many studies share these limitations or explicitly assess whether effects are sustainable over time; it also does not link its sample size to generalizability. (LLM, conf=0.84)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
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- Authors
- Valenstein-Mah, H., Simpson, T. L., Bowen, S., Enkema, M. C., Bird, E. R., In Cho, H., & Larimer, M. E.
- Affiliations
- Minneapolis VA Health Care System (US)
- University of Washington (US)
- Pacific University Oregon (US)
- Corresponding author
- Valenstein-Mah, Helen
- Venue
- Mindfulness
- Published
- 2019-01-07
- Volume
- 10
- Issue
- 7
- Pages
- 1255-1268
- ISSN
- 1868-8527 (ISSN-L)
- 1868-8535
- PMC
- PMC6752739
- OpenAlex
- W2908859536
- Cited by
- 11
- References
- 53
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 2
- FWCI
- 1.75
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Mindfulness (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (F31AA023420-01A1)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
- Keywords
- mindfulness-based interventions, post-traumatic stress disorder, problem drinking, university students, state mindfulness, feasibility and acceptability, brief intervention, substance use
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