Department of Engineering Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America.
Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America.
PLoS One. 2023 Mar 22;18(3):e0281994. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0281994. eCollection 2023.
The mental health crisis in graduate education combined with low treatment rates among engineering graduate students underscores the need for engineering graduate programs to provide effective methods to promote well-being. There is an extensive body of neuroscience research showing that contemplative practices, such as mindfulness, produce measurable effects on brain function and overall well-being. We hypothesized that a mindfulness-based training program designed for engineering graduate students would improve emotional well-being and, secondarily, enhance research capacity. An initial pilot study was conducted at a single institution (Phase 1), followed by a larger study conducted at both the original and a second institution (Phase 2) to gather additional data and show the program's transferability. The program comprised eight weekly mindfulness training sessions. Individuals in the study were randomly assigned to either an intervention group or wait-list control group. We administered pre- and post-test surveys with quantitative measures designed to assess emotional and physical well-being, as well as creativity, research satisfaction, and desire to contribute to the betterment of society. Participants also completed a summative survey to evaluate the impact of the program on their well-being and research. Analysis revealed statistically significant findings: improved emotional health, decreased neuroticism, increased positive affect, decreased negative affect, and increased mindfulness in the intervention groups compared to the control groups. Intervention groups in Phase 2 also reported statistically significant improvement in satisfaction with their research. Our findings suggest that mindfulness training has the potential to play a vital professional and personal development role in graduate engineering education.
研究生教育中的心理健康危机，加上工科研究生的低治疗率，突显了工科研究生课程需要提供有效的方法来促进幸福感。大量神经科学研究表明，冥想等沉思实践对大脑功能和整体幸福感产生可衡量的影响。我们假设，为工科研究生设计的基于正念的培训计划将改善他们的情绪健康，并间接地提高他们的研究能力。该计划在一个机构进行了初步试点研究（第一阶段），然后在原始机构和第二个机构进行了更大规模的研究（第二阶段），以收集更多数据并展示该计划的可转移性。该计划包括八周的正念培训课程。研究中的个体被随机分配到干预组或候补名单对照组。我们进行了预测试和后测试调查，采用定量措施评估情感和身体健康、创造力、研究满意度以及为社会进步做出贡献的愿望。参与者还完成了一份总结性调查，以评估该计划对他们的幸福感和研究的影响。分析显示出统计学上的显著发现：与对照组相比，干预组的情绪健康得到改善，神经质程度降低，积极情绪增加，消极情绪减少，正念水平提高。第二阶段的干预组在对研究的满意度方面也报告了统计学上的显著提高。我们的发现表明，正念训练有可能在工科研究生教育中发挥至关重要的专业和个人发展作用。
