Examining the Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Interventions on Anxiety and Perceived Stress Among Undergraduate Students in Cross River State

Mindfulness-based interventions have demonstrated robust efficacy for anxiety and perceived stress reduction across diverse populations, yet their effectiveness in sub-Saharan African university student populations remains empirically underexplored. This study empirically examines the effectiveness of an eight-session mindfulness-based stress reduction adapted programme on anxiety and perceived stress among undergraduate students at the University of Calabar, Cross River State, South South Nigeria. A randomised controlled pilot trial design is applied to 80 participants (40 treatment, 40 waitlist control) with elevated anxiety scores, recruited through campus-wide screening using the GAD-7. The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, the Perceived Stress Scale, and a Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale are administered at baseline, post-intervention, and six-week follow-up. Repeated measures ANOVA and intention-to-treat analysis are performed in SPSS. Available mindfulness intervention literature from West African university contexts identifies culturally adapted attention practices incorporating communal and spiritual elements as producing stronger engagement and outcomes than standard Western mindfulness scripts. Kabat-Zinn's Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Framework and the Attentional Control Theory provide the theoretical reference. This study fills a gap in the controlled trial literature on mindfulness in Nigerian university settings. Findings will support the University of Calabar counselling centre in adopting evidence-based mindfulness programmes. Keywords: mindfulness-based intervention, anxiety, perceived stress, undergraduates, Cross River State.