OA13.01. Mind-Body Medicine Skills training for self-care and emotional well-being in medical students

First-year medical students, 34 females and 25 males, from a class of 192 students elected the MBMS and were administered pre- and post-test assessment questionnaires measuring depression and anxiety (BSI; Derogatis, 1983), physical health symptoms (Wahler, 1983) and mindfulness (5FMS; Baer, 2006). Bonferroni-corrected results show significant improvements in students' pre-post levels of depression (M=.78 vs.58, SD=.86 and .73, respectively; t=3.08, p<.003) and anxiety (M=40.95 vs. 33.17, SD=10.97 and SD=9.32, respectively; t=6.46, df=58, p<.001) with a trend for physical health (M=23.54 vs. 19.98, SD=14.00 and 15.37, respectively; t=2.20, p<.03). Mindfulness skills also increased (M=121.05 vs. 132.68, SD=16.48 and 18.31, respectively). Controlling for baseline levels, increases in mindfulness skills predicted post-test levels of depression and anxiety, accounting for an additional 10% and 12% of the variance. The GUMC MBMS course for medical students can lay a foundation for prevention of stress often experienced by medical professionals (Krasner, 2009). Specifically, MBMS was associated with reduction in distress, and change in mindfulness skills appear to account, in part, for improvements in depression and anxiety.