SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Psychol.
Sec. Positive Psychology
Online and Traditional Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Stress in University Students: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Versus Control Conditions
YANGZHEN WANG 1
WEIGUO QU 2
HONGCHENG LIU 3
ZE Peng 1
YURONG HU 1
1. Xiangtan Institute of Technology, Xiangtan, China
2. Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China
3. CHANGSHA ISTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, CHANGSHA, China
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Abstract
Objective: Empirical evidence verifies the efficacy of mindfulness interventions in addressing heterogeneous stress forms across clinical and non-clinical populations. However, online mindfulness is increasingly emerging in diverse modalities across online platforms, propelled by ongoing technological advancements. This study aims to conduct a systematic analysis of the intervention effects of online versus traditional mindfulness in alleviating stress among university students. It is important to note that this review compares online and traditional formats indirectly, by synthesizing trials that separately compare each format against a control condition, as head-to-head RCTs directly comparing both formats were not eligible for inclusion. Method: Four databases were selected as data sources: Web of Science, Embase, Medline and PsycINFO. 4,387 articles were included based on the PICOS framework established a priori, and 16 articles were ultimately incorporated into the meta-analysis. During data analysis, article quality was appraised utilizing the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool, with data extraction performed in Microsoft Excel and statistical analyses conducted in Stata. Results: Analysis of the included studies indicated that online mindfulness interventions (SMD = -0.56; 95% CI: -0.76 to -0.36) effectively reduced stress in university students, with traditional mindfulness interventions (SMD = -0.64; 95% CI: 2 -0.83 to -0.46)) demonstrating comparable results. For improving mindfulness among university students, both online mindfulness (SMD = 0.52; 95% CI: 0.28 to 0.76) and traditional mindfulness (SMD = 0.42; 95% CI: 0.24 to 0.59) yield positive outcomes. Conclusion: The results demonstrated that both online and traditional mindfulness effectively reduce university students' stress and enhance their mindfulness levels. And the effects of these two intervention methods are comparable. Therefore, online mindfulness may serve as a viable and similarly effective alternative to traditional mindfulness for stress reduction among college students.
Summary
Keywords
Meta-analysis, online mindfulness, stress, traditional mindfulness, university student
Received
27 November 2025
Accepted
29 January 2026
Copyright
© 2026 WANG, QU, LIU, Peng and HU. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: YANGZHEN WANG; WEIGUO QU
Disclaimer
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