effect of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy on subjective well-being and psychological distress of kerman university of medical sciences students

Background: mental health is a significant component of academic achievement, while psychological distress can reduce academic performance.objectives: the present study aimed to investigate the effect of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (mbct) on subjective wellbeing and psychological distress of kerman university of medical sciences students. methods: in this quasi-experimental study, the study population included all kerman university of medical sciences students in 2020. the study sample consisted of 30 university students randomly divided into two groups: control (n = 15) and experimental (n = 15), using convenience sampling. the experimental group received eight 90-minute mbct sessions biweekly. the research tools included the subjectivewell-being scale (sws) and the depression, anxiety, and stress scale (dass-21). the data were analyzed with spss version 22.results: the mean posttest scores of emotional, psychological, and social well-being were 3.56 ± 0.31, 4.46 ± 0.32, and 5.70 ± 0.42 in the experimental group and 2.64 ± 0.40, 4.00 ± 0.37, and 3.11 ± 0.35 in the control group, respectively. moreover, the mean posttest scores for depression, anxiety, and stress were 1.64 ± 0.16, 1.19 ± 0.41, and 1.67 ± 0.15 in the experimental group and 3.10 ± 0.24, 3.55 ± 0.52, and 3.01 ± 0.24 in the control group, respectively. mindfulness-based cognitive therapy significantly improved the posttest scores of subjective well-being subscales (emotional, psychological, and social well-being). moreover, depression, anxiety, and stress decreased significantly in the experimental group (p < 0.001).conclusions: mindfulness-based cognitive therapy effectively reduced psychological distress and improved subjective well-being in university students.