The present study utilized a pre-test, post-test comparison group design to examine effects of participation in a twelve-week Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course on college students' psychological well-being (Ryff Psychological Well-Being Scale, Medium Form; Ryff, 1989, 1995, 1996), psychological distress (Hopkins Symptom Checklist-21; Green, Walkey, McCormick & Taylor, 1988), self-compassion (Self-Compassion Scale; Neff, 2003) and health status (SF-12v2 Health Survey; Ware, Kosinski, Turner-Bowker, Gandeck, 2007). Participants were enrolled in a Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course (intervention group, n = 26) or a Learning and Academic Skills (LASK) course (comparison group n = 29). Participants in the MBSR course followed the standard MBSR program format developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn (1990) and were taught body awareness exercises, gentle hatha yoga and mindfulness meditation. Participants in the comparison group, the LASK course, were taught various self-management and academic skills designed to promote competence as college students. Results indicated that there were no differences between the intervention and comparison groups' change scores on the dependent measures. Results also indicated that the MBSR group improved significantly on measures of self-compassion, psychological well-being and psychological distress. Participants in the comparison group also improved significantly on the self-compassion and psychological well-being measures. There were no significant changes on the health status outcome measure for either group. The results and implications for the study are discussed. Limitations and recommendations for future research are also outlined. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]