Dataset used for analyses in present study.

ObjectivesRumination and negative emotions are prevalent among university students and are strongly linked to mental health disorders, including depression and anxiety. Group counseling involving a mindfulness-based strategies may help prevent university students from developing rumination and negative emotions and subsequent mental health disorders. This study aims to evaluate the alleviating effect of mindfulness intervention on rumination and negative emotions in university students in China.MethodsA randomized controlled trial (RCT) with 2 arms (Intervention Group and Control Group), three assessment time points (pre-intervention, post-intervention, and 3-month follow-up) is proposed. A total of 196 university students are randomly assigned to an intervention group (n = 98) receiving a 2-week, daily 1.5-hour mindfulness training (MT) and a control group (n = 98) receiving peer support (PS) sessions. Participants complete the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), Depression-Anxiety-Stress Scale (DASS-21), and Ruminative Responses Scale (RRS) before, immediately after, and three months post-intervention. Statistical analysis will compare outcomes between groups to evaluate the effectiveness using a repeated-measures ANOVA.ResultsBefore the intervention, no significant differences are observed between groups. After the intervention, the MT group shows significant improvements in MAAS scores and reductions in DASS-21 scores (p ConclusionThis study contributes to a better understanding of the effectiveness of mindfulness intervention in alleviating rumination and negative emotions in university students, and it is expected that with the proposed intervention university students can improve their psychological well-being. Besides, mindfulness interventions can potentially be extended to participants suffering from other psychological issues in the future.