SynthesisFrontiers in psychology2026
Online and traditional mindfulness-based interventions for stress in university students: a systematic review and meta-analysis versus control conditions.
Synthesis in Frontiers in psychology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Psychological Determinants of the Weight Cycle: A Review of Perceived Stress and Self-Efficacy.Current obesity reports · 2026Review
- Personality Trait Dimensions and Depressive Symptoms Among Medical Students: Sequential Mediation Through Psychological Capital and Perceived Stress.Depression and anxiety · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
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. Methods: Four databases were selected as data sources: Web of Science, Embase, Medline and PsycINFO. A total of 4,387 articles were included based on the PICOS framework established 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: -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. Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD420251025123, CRD420251025123.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.