BACKGROUND
Internationally there have been many studies showing that the number of university students suffering from mental illness is growing and this problem should be addressed
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to examine 41 pharmacy students’ experiences of a small Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) -based intervention that was implemented as a 7-week course with weekly online modules.
METHODS
Students’ well-being, experiences of stress, organised studying and psychological flexibility were measured with questionnaires at the beginning and end of the course. Students’ experiences of the effectiveness of the course and were analysed from open-ended responses and a reflective journal.
RESULTS
The results show that students’ well-being and ability to manage time and effort increased during the course(p≤0.003). In their reflective journals, students described how their ability to manage stress in their studies, cope with their thoughts and feelings, focus on the things that are more important to them, and manage their time in studying and their well-being had improved.
CONCLUSIONS
This study showed that it is possible to foster students’ well-being in their studies. More research is needed to identify the long-lasting effects of these kind of interventions.
The Effect of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy-Based Psychoeducation Program on University Students’ Meaning of Life Levels
