Psychosocial factors associated with participating in mind-body exercises: Salient belief elicitation with college students

Problem: Dramatically increased stress and stress related problems have become important public health issues among college students. In order to reduce the negative influences of stress, more students are resorting to mind-body exercise, such as Yoga, Tai Chi, and Qigong. Although research has indicated therapeutic benefits of this mind-body exercise, little is known about the psychosocial factors associated with this behavior. Methods: This study used a theory-based questionnaire to identify the psychosocial factors of attending mind-body exercise. Six open-ended questions were asked and content analyses were employed to elicit the most frequently mentioned consequences, social referents, and circumstances by college students. Results: Two hundred fifty two (252) students were recruited. The majority of participants in the mind-body exercise were white (92%) and female (82%). The three most frequently mentioned supporting social referents were “family members,” “friends,” and “advisors or instructors.” The three most frequently mentioned advantages included “releasing stress and relaxation,” “improving physical health,” and “improving psychological well-being.” The three most frequently mentioned barriers to attending mind-body exercises were “inappropriate teaching style,” “inconvenient time,” and “too much meditation.” The most frequently mentioned facilitating circumstances was “convenient time and locations.” Conclusions and Implications: This study provides insight into the perceived benefits, barriers, and facilitating factors associated with mind-body exercise participation among college students. Future mind-body exercise interventions should focus on maximizing relaxation and stress reduction among participants. More research is necessary to investigate benefits of mind-body exercises in a college population.