# Enhancing psychological health and cognitive inhibition in college students: insights from mindfulness training and high-intensity interval training

PMID: 40386676
Journal: Frontiers in Psychology
Published: 2025
Authors: Bao Y, Sun J, Zhang X

## Question

How do 6-week mindfulness training and HIIT compare with control for psychological health and cognitive inhibition in college students with mild depressive symptoms?

## Summary

In college students with mild depressive symptoms, 6 weeks of treadmill HIIT or mindfulness training reduced anxiety and depression scores and improved response-inhibition accuracy compared with baseline and control patterns. Mindfulness showed stronger sustained effects at 6-week follow-up and improved interference-inhibition accuracy, while HIIT did not improve flanker accuracy or reaction time.

## Population

- College students with mild depressive symptoms; final per-protocol sample about 117.
- Sample size: 117
- Age: College age; HIIT mean 20.53 +/- 1.86 years
- Sex: Men and women
- Fitness level: Excluded frequent HIIT practice
- Health status: Mild depressive symptoms

## Methodology

- Randomized single-blind controlled trial with three groups and follow-up
- 6-week intervention plus 6-week follow-up
- College setting with treadmill HIIT and mindfulness sessions
- Randomized and controlled study design.

## Protocol

- Treadmill HIIT.
- Modality: Running.
- Work intervals: 15-50 s.
- Recovery: 25-60 s low-intensity intervals.
- Sets or repetitions: 10-20 intervals depending on session.
- Intensity: Full-speed high-intensity running; warm-up to 50-60% maximum HR.
- Session duration: 25 min.
- Frequency: 2 sessions/week.
- Program length: 6 weeks.
- Progression: Twelve sessions used varied interval durations and repetitions.
- Mindfulness training and control.
- Modality: Mindfulness sessions or no intervention.
- Sets or repetitions: Mindfulness twice weekly for 25 min; control had no MT/HIIT during testing period.
- Session duration: 25 min for mindfulness.
- Frequency: 2 sessions/week for mindfulness.
- Program length: 6 weeks.
- Progression: Mindfulness content progressed across 12 sessions.

## Outcomes

### Anxiety
Status: improved
HIIT reduced anxiety scores at post-test and follow-up versus baseline.

Group x time p<0.001; HIIT post and follow-up both p<0.05 vs baseline.

### Depression
Status: improved
HIIT reduced depression scores at post-test and follow-up versus baseline.

Group x time p<0.001; MT favored over HIIT at follow-up p=0.002.

### Response inhibition
Status: improved
HIIT improved stop-signal accuracy.

HIIT 90.16 +/- 0.63 to 95.29 +/- 0.59 post and 95.19 +/- 0.47 follow-up; p<0.05.

### Interference inhibition
Status: no clear change
HIIT did not significantly improve flanker accuracy.

HIIT post and follow-up p>0.05 vs baseline.

### Reaction time
Status: no clear change
Neither stop-signal nor flanker reaction time improved.

No significant time or interaction effects for reaction-time outcomes.

## Practical Insights

- HIIT may support short-term mood and response-inhibition outcomes in college students with mild symptoms.
- Mindfulness outperformed HIIT on sustained mood benefits and interference inhibition.
- Retention and per-protocol exclusion are important uncertainty points.

## Limitations

- Per-protocol rather than ITT analysis
- Self-reported anxiety/depression questionnaires
- Mild depressive symptoms only
- Incomplete intensity-monitoring detail
- College-student sample

## Safety And Adherence

- Participants with heart disease, fracture, or other exercise-limiting physical defects were excluded.
- No adverse-event details were reported.

## Original Sources

- [PubMed](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40386676/) (pubmed)
- [DOI](https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1528049) (doi)
- [PMC full text](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12081342/) (full text)

## Agent Guidance

Preserve the paper-level scope of this note. Do not generalize beyond the population, protocol, measured outcomes, and limitations above.