Brainwave evidence hints at benefits from a school mindfulness programme

By Emma Young Recent studies of mindfulness schools programmes for teenagers have produced mixed results, with some failing to find benefits, even when extra features were added to try to make them more effective. But given the demonstrated benefits of mindfulness training on stress and wellbeing in adults – and the urgent need to find ways to reduce stress and prevent depression in teenagers – it’s not surprising that researchers are pursuing work in the area. Advocates of mindfulness for kids may, then, take some comfort from a new study in Developmental Science that found an 8-week training programme improved emotion processing in 16-18-year-olds. In theory, this might reduce their vulnerability to depression, write the researchers, from Bangor University, UK. The study was not large: it involved just 40 sixth-form pupils (aged 16 to 18) from north Wales. Twenty-one pupils from two schools acted as controls, while 19 from two other schools formed the training group. Regular teachers from these schools delivered the “Foundations” version of the .b mindfulness curriculum, originally developed by the Mindfulness in Schools Project for busy adults, and which consists of eight 50-minute sessions (the researchers said they chose this programme to “reflect the maturity of the age group targeted for this intervention”). At the start and end of the study period, all the pupils completed a number of questionnaires, including the Perceived Stress Scale, a self...
Source: BPS RESEARCH DIGEST - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Educational Mental health Source Type: blogs