Introduction: Emotional burnout and reduced self-compassion are common consequences of anxiety among university students, negatively affecting their academic performance and psychological well-being. In recent years, mindfulness-based interventions have gained increasing attention as effective approaches to enhancing emotional regulation. The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) on emotional burnout and self-compassion in anxious students.
Method: This semi-experimental study utilized a pretest–posttest design with a control group. A total of 30 anxious students from Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch, Tehran (2024), were selected through purposive sampling and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups (15 participants each). The experimental group received eight 90-minute sessions of MBSR training, while the control group received no intervention. Data were collected using the Emotional Burnout Questionnaire and the Self-Compassion Scale and analyzed using ANCOVA.
Results: Findings indicated that the MBSR intervention significantly reduced emotional burnout and significantly increased self-compassion in the experimental group compared with the control group.
Conclusion: The results suggest that Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction can serve as an effective psychological approach for improving emotional well-being and enhancing self-compassion in anxious university students.