Purpose: Dental hygiene students face an exorbitant amount of stress during their educational pursuits. This has only been compounded by the added stress of the COVID-19 pandemic. Students may benefit from the practice of meditation in managing their stress levels during these trying times. This study analyzes the effectiveness of meditation as a stress reliever for dental hygiene students as they navigate their education during the pandemic and the effects it may have on perception of stress, academic achievement, and physical health.
Methods: Students participated in a four-week meditation study, consisting of a 30-minute guided meditation completed once weekly. Prior to participation, students completed a pre-test measuring their stress levels, the effects of stress on their physical well-being, and their academic achievement. After four-weeks of meditation, students completed a post-test identical to their pre-test, which provided quantitative data. A focus group was completed and qualitative data was gathered regarding the meditation’s effect on stress. Both qualitative and quantitative data were assessed and analyzed.
Results: Fifteen students (n = 15) completed the full study. While this study did not supply statistically significant evidence that meditation effects the well-being or academic achievement of students, it did suggest meditation decreased the amount of perceived stress students experienced (p < .01).
Conclusion: Meditation is a useful and effective tool for decreasing perceived stress experienced by dental hygiene students.
","abstract_html":"<p>Purpose: Dental hygiene students face an exorbitant amount of stress during their educational pursuits. This has only been compounded by the added stress of the COVID-19 pandemic. Students may benefit from the practice of meditation in managing their stress levels during these trying times. This study analyzes the effectiveness of meditation as a stress reliever for dental hygiene students as they navigate their education during the pandemic and the effects it may have on perception of stress, academic achievement, and physical health.</p> <p>Methods: Students participated in a four-week meditation study, consisting of a 30-minute guided meditation completed once weekly. Prior to participation, students completed a pre-test measuring their stress levels, the effects of stress on their physical well-being, and their academic achievement. After four-weeks of meditation, students completed a post-test identical to their pre-test, which provided quantitative data. A focus group was completed and qualitative data was gathered regarding the meditation’s effect on stress. Both qualitative and quantitative data were assessed and analyzed.</p> <p>Results: Fifteen students (n = 15) completed the full study. While this study did not supply statistically significant evidence that meditation effects the well-being or academic achievement of students, it did suggest meditation decreased the amount of perceived stress students experienced (p < .01).</p> <p>Conclusion: Meditation is a useful and effective tool for decreasing perceived stress experienced by dental hygiene students.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Henderson, Sarah"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science (MS) in Dental Hygiene","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"Dental Hygiene","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2021,"date_issued":"2021-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2021-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:12:39Z","subjects":["Dental Hygiene","Movement and Mind-Body Therapies"],"languages":[],"rights":["Access is available to all users"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://dc.ewu.edu/theses/691","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Henderson, Sarah"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Dental Hygiene"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science (MS) in Dental Hygiene"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Dental Hygiene","Movement and Mind-Body Therapies"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Access is available to all users"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://dc.ewu.edu/theses/691"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Purpose: Dental hygiene students face an exorbitant amount of stress during their educational pursuits. This has only been compounded by the added stress of the COVID-19 pandemic. Students may benefit from the practice of meditation in managing their stress levels during these trying times. This study analyzes the effectiveness of meditation as a stress reliever for dental hygiene students as they navigate their education during the pandemic and the effects it may have on perception of stress, academic achievement, and physical health.
Methods: Students participated in a four-week meditation study, consisting of a 30-minute guided meditation completed once weekly. Prior to participation, students completed a pre-test measuring their stress levels, the effects of stress on their physical well-being, and their academic achievement. After four-weeks of meditation, students completed a post-test identical to their pre-test, which provided quantitative data. A focus group was completed and qualitative data was gathered regarding the meditation’s effect on stress. Both qualitative and quantitative data were assessed and analyzed.
Results: Fifteen students (n = 15) completed the full study. While this study did not supply statistically significant evidence that meditation effects the well-being or academic achievement of students, it did suggest meditation decreased the amount of perceived stress students experienced (p < .01).
Conclusion: Meditation is a useful and effective tool for decreasing perceived stress experienced by dental hygiene students.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["A pilot study of meditation as a stress reliever for dental hygiene students during times of heightened stress"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:creator":["Henderson, Sarah"],"dc:description.abstract":["Purpose: Dental hygiene students face an exorbitant amount of stress during their educational pursuits. This has only been compounded by the added stress of the COVID-19 pandemic. Students may benefit from the practice of meditation in managing their stress levels during these trying times. This study analyzes the effectiveness of meditation as a stress reliever for dental hygiene students as they navigate their education during the pandemic and the effects it may have on perception of stress, academic achievement, and physical health.
Methods: Students participated in a four-week meditation study, consisting of a 30-minute guided meditation completed once weekly. Prior to participation, students completed a pre-test measuring their stress levels, the effects of stress on their physical well-being, and their academic achievement. After four-weeks of meditation, students completed a post-test identical to their pre-test, which provided quantitative data. A focus group was completed and qualitative data was gathered regarding the meditation’s effect on stress. Both qualitative and quantitative data were assessed and analyzed.
Results: Fifteen students (n = 15) completed the full study. While this study did not supply statistically significant evidence that meditation effects the well-being or academic achievement of students, it did suggest meditation decreased the amount of perceived stress students experienced (p < .01).
Conclusion: Meditation is a useful and effective tool for decreasing perceived stress experienced by dental hygiene students.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://dc.ewu.edu/theses/691"],"dc:rights":["Access is available to all users"],"dc:subject":["Dental Hygiene","Movement and Mind-Body Therapies"],"dc:title":["A pilot study of meditation as a stress reliever for dental hygiene students during times of heightened stress"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Dental Hygiene"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science (MS) in Dental Hygiene"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:12:39Z"}