Effects of an On-Campus Meditation Course on Depression, Anxiety, Stress, and Sleep Quality among South Korean Paramedic Students

Abstract

Background. Paramedic students frequently face various stressful and challenging situations as they work in emergency medical settings. Currently, research studies on utilizing meditation courses as a part of the curriculum to improve the mental health of paramedic students in Korea are lacking. Methods. For this quasiexperimental study, a nonequivalent group pretest and post-test research design was used. The study sample comprised 55 paramedic students from two similar-sized universities in different locations: 27 in the experimental group and 28 in the control group. The experimental group participated in an eight-week meditation course, while the control group did not receive any interventions during the same time period. Results. The results indicated that compared with the control group, the experimental group had significantly decreased anxiety ( $p=0.047$ ) and stress levels ( $p=0.044$ ) and improved sleep quality ( $p=0.041$ ). The change in depression levels did not significantly differ between the groups ( $p=0.419$ ). Conclusions. The inclusion of a meditation course within college curriculums for paramedic students is feasible and may benefit students in terms of stress, anxiety, and sleep quality.