The influence mechanism of mindfulness training on college students’ psychological stress regulation: a mediation model with moderating effect

Background This study investigates the impact of mindfulness training on college students’ stress regulation ability, building upon the psychological stress issues among undergraduates in the context of universal higher education and intensified employment competition. Methods A moderated mediation model was constructed, featuring “mindfulness training → cognitive reappraisal → stress regulation ability,” to systematically explore the mechanism of mindfulness training. Using a combination of stratified random sampling and online convenience sampling, 567 valid data were collected. Empirical analysis was conducted through structural equation modeling (SEM), Bootstrap sampling, and moderation effect testing. Results The findings reveal: First, mindfulness training significantly enhances stress regulation ability (β = 0.597, p < 0.001), with its mechanism aligning with the inhibitory control of the prefrontal cortex over the amygdala. Second, cognitive reappraisal mediates the relationship between mindfulness training and stress regulation ability (mediation effect size = 0.260, 95%CI[0.125, 0.426]), supporting the “deautomated cognitive processing” theory. Third, teaching feedback moderates the effect of cognitive reappraisal (interaction term coefficient = 0.430, p < 0.001), indicating that high-quality feedback significantly strengthens the mediation pathway. Conclusion This study is the first to incorporate teaching feedback into a mindfulness intervention model for higher education, providing theoretical foundations and actionable curriculum-based feedback practices for transitioning mental health education from “problem correction” to “capacity building.”