Test anxiety, psychological adaptability, and learning performance: Effects of a mindfulness training intervention on university students

Background: Within the demanding landscape of higher education, the intersection of academic excellence and students’ psychological well-being is a problem. Mindfulness training has emerged as a potential solution for fostering brain connectivity and emotional regulation. However, its influence on test anxiety, psychological adaptability, and academic performance, along with their interrelations, remains insufficiently investigated. To address this void, the present study aimed to examine the impact of a mindfulness training program on university students’ test anxiety, adaptability, and learning success and the interrelations among these variables. Methods and Material: A quasi-experimental design involving 105 university students assigned non-randomly to either a mindfulness training group or a control group was employed. The intervention comprised 12 weekly sessions that integrated theory and activities. Before the intervention and following its completion, test anxiety, and adaptability were measured using standardized scales, whereas individual grade point averages were obtained from the university records. Data were subjected to descriptive analysis, multivariate analysis of covariance, repeated measures analyses of variance, and structural equation modeling. Results: The test anxiety scores were significantly lower in the experimental group than in the comparison group. Additionally, compared with their nontreated counterparts, the mindfulness group reported a significant increase in adaptability. However, contrary to expectations, the intervention did not yield a significant improvement in academic grades, and no significant direct link between test anxiety and learning performance was established. Furthermore, no mediating role of adaptability between test anxiety and academic performance was found. Conclusions: This evidence highlights the potential of mindfulness practices for alleviating test anxiety and improving adaptability. However, the findings highlight the need for further interventions to enhance learning outcomes and explore diverse causal models.