Abstract
Higher education in society is highly sought after, but the mental, emotional and physical demand of curriculums can cause students to experience high levels of stress prior to entering the workforce. Due to the workload, social work students in particular are encouraged to participate in self-care through regular mindfulness activities. Guided by the ecological systems and cognitive stress theory, our study aimed to enhance the understanding of whether social work students who are more mindful have reduced levels of stress. Our study utilized an exploratory research design. Cross-sectional convenience sampling was used to collect eighty-four qualifying participants in a Bachelor of Social Work or Master of Social Work program, but due to validity concerns, the qualifying participants were reduced to seventy-seven. Our study used correlation and independent t-tests to analyze relationships between mindfulness practices and stress levels. On average, self-reported stress levels of participants were high. The most utilized mindfulness tool was exercise, there was no relationship between exercise and stress levels. However, those who practiced any mindfulness practices more often had lower stress levels. The authors recommend social work students identify a mindfulness practice that they enjoy and be consistent in implementing it in order to reduce levels of stress. It is also recommended that universities and social work agencies create mindfulness practice curricula.