Mindfulness Among Underrepresented College Students: A Scoping Review

Introduction: Mindfulness has been studied to support the mental health, well-being, and academic functioning of college students, although less is known about how mindfulness applies specifically to underrepresented college students. This scoping review examined how mindfulness has been studied among underrepresented college students, including the subgroups, measures, outcomes, research designs, and gaps represented in the literature.

Methods: This scoping review used Arksey and O’Malley’s framework and guidance from the PRISMA-ScR. Searches were conducted across five electronic databases. Peer-reviewed, empirical studies were included based on predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Reviewers independently screened records in Covidence and extracted data from the included literature.

Results: A total of 25 studies were included. Most studies examined trait, state, or facets of mindfulness rather than mindfulness-based interventions. The literature emphasized associations and correlations in that most studies used cross-sectional or correlational research designs. Black or African American and Asian American students were most often studied, and many subgroups were less frequently represented or were not included. Mindfulness was most often measured with the MAAS or FFMQ and higher mindfulness was associated with lower stress, anxiety, depression, distress, symptoms of PTSD, and improved coping, resilience, mental health, and overall well-being. There was limited evidence related to academic, behavioral, physical health, and implementation outcomes.

Discussion: Mindfulness shows promise for supporting underrepresented college students, but the limited literature is uneven and lacks more rigorous research designs. Comparisons between studies were also limited by the heterogeneity in populations, study designs, outcomes, and institutional contexts. Future studies should use more intervention and longitudinal designs, report subgroup findings, provide more details on institutional context, and adapt mindfulness interventions to the specific population or context.