MINDFUL AWARENESS RESEARCH ABSTRACTS 2024
The practices associated with mindful awareness have been scientifically studied for over 40 years and include 10,600 published scientific journal articles.
An example of growth in the mindful awareness research literature from 1980 - 2023

Academics
Bakosh, L., Houlihan, J., Tobias, J., (2018). Audio-guided mindfulness training in schools and its salutary effect on school attainment: Contributing to theory, practice, and policy. Learning & Instruction, 58, 34-41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2018.04.012
New insights on the link between mindfulness and school achievement were reported in this Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) of a mindfulness intervention called Inner Explorer. The intervention was innovative and practical because its pre-recorded audio-guided 10-minute-a- day format minimized disruption to teaching resources and curriculum operations. The study showed students who were in the Inner Explorer intervention condition significantly increased their overall grade point averages (GPAs) by 29% in School A and 9.8% in School B, and increased their math grades by 27.9% in School A and 18% in School B. Students from disadvantaged backgrounds, particularly English Language Learners, benefitted from the intervention, which may help ease these students' pressure of growing up with chronic socioeconomic stressors. This study also collected data on teacher stress and well-being, showing a 43% reduction in stress and a 47% improvement in trait mindfulness.
Bakosh, L., Snow, R., Houlihan, J., Tobias, J., Barbosa-Leiker, C. (2016). Maximizing mindful learning: An innovative mindful awareness intervention improves elementary students' quarterly grades. Journal of Mindfulness, 7, 59-67.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-015-0387-6
This controlled research study was conducted in eight 3rd-grade classrooms to measure the effect of Inner Explorer, a 10-minute per day audio mindfulness-based social-emotional learning (MBSEL) intervention on academic and behavior measures as well as on teaching operations. The results showed a statistically positive improvement of 16% GPA overall, 18.8% reading, 11.2% math, and 20.6% science grades. Additionally, students had 60% fewer behavior events as measured by principal office referrals, with no change to the curriculum since the program was run during normal transition times.
Bellinger, D.B., Decara, M.S. (2015). Mindfulness, anxiety, and high-stakes mathematics performance in the laboratory and classroom. Consciousness & Cognition, 37, 123-132. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.concog.2015.09.001
Research demonstrates mindfulness' positive impact on both cognitive performance and emotional regulation. Since anxious thoughts disrupt cognitive control, a mindfulness practice may be beneficial for situations where anxiety interferes with positive performance, such as test taking. In Study 1, the authors determined that mindfulness practice indirectly benefited math performance through reduced state anxiety, particularly problems that required greater working memory. In Study 2, similar findings were found among undergraduate engineering majors and increased performance on high-stakes quizzes and exams by reducing their cognitive test anxiety." Findings show how mindfulness benefits academic performance and suggest a positive influence on lowering test anxiety.
Dunlap, R. (2023). An Analysis of the Impact of the Inner Explorer Mindfulness Program on Academic Growth of Elementary Students. University of North Carolina- Charlotte. https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/analysis-impact-inner- explorer-mindfulness/docview/2810732788/se-2?accountid=14605
Students experience many stressors that impact their academic achievement and overall well-being. Therefore, schools must explore methods to help students address stressors and to focus on academic learning. In the age of school accountability for academic growth and stagnant or shrinking budgets, schools must explore fiscally possible options that have a limited impact on school schedules. Mindfulness is a practice that has been shown to help students focus in on the learning environment at school in cost-effective and manageable ways. This clustered Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) sought to evaluate student academic growth for general education students (GES) and Students with Disabilities (SWD). The study found that students' math and reading grades and related standardized test scores (Measure of Academic Progress-MAPS) were significantly improved in the intervention condition versus the control condition. GES students who participated in Inner Explorer had 3.6% higher math grades and 4.3% higher math MAPS scores. GES students had 3.2% higher reading grades and 6.4% higher reading MAPS scores. As well, SWD students who participated in Inner Explorer had 6.3% higher reading grades and 26.6% higher reading MAPS scores. They also had 9.6% higher math grades and 22% higher math MAPS scores.
Article: ''Given the large, persistent disparities in standardized measures of reading among students of color, it is exciting that we found evidence that a time-efficient mindfulness practice has a positive influence on educational outcomes,'' Felver said. https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2023/12/five-minutes-mindfulness-can-help-improve-kids-reading
Felver, J. C., Clawson, A. J., Ash, T. L., & Wang, Q. (2023). Effects of brief mindfulness practice on reading performance among racially minoritized adolescents. School Psychology.https://doi.org/10.1037/spq0000368
This controlled study evaluated the impact of a 5-minute mindfulness intervention on students' reading comprehension in five seventh-grade English Language Arts (ELA) classes from the same New York state school, where 70% of students are Black and 88% live below the poverty level. Students who used mindfulness practices at the beginning of class had significantly higher reading scores (sentence-level comprehension and fluency) than students assigned to the control condition at the end of the school year. These are encouraging results, especially considering the continued prevalence of significant racial and socioeconomic disparities in reading outcomes.
Inclusivity
O'Hare AJ, Gemelli ZT (2023) The effects of short interventions of focused-attention vs. self-compassion mindfulness meditation on undergraduate students: Evidence from self-report, classroom performance, and ERPs. PLOS ONE 18(1): e0278826. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0278826
Mindfulness interventions often combine teaching a skill (attentional focus) with teaching an attitude (non-judgmental compassion). When mindfulness interventions successfully affect a target behavior, it can be challenging to discern which of these two training features effectively caused the change. To determine what impacts each has, researchers tested the effects of focused-attention training versus self-compassion training on college students' well-being, academic performance, and brain activity. Students participated in 10 weeks of in-class focused-attention or self-compassion training, depending on their group assignment. The results showed the self-compassion group had significantly larger improvements on measures of anxiety (d =0.70), stress (d =0.80), and depression (d=0.92) than the focused-attention group. The self-compassion group also outperformed the focused attention group on two of four academic exams covering the course material (d=0.56 and d=0.79). The focused-attention group showed significantly (partial η2=.13) shorter attention task reaction times (average = 80 ms) as compared to the self-compassion group. These results imply that combining the two types of training may offer mental health, academic, and attentional performance benefits.
Stager, A. (2022). Determining the degree to which active use of mindfulness with elementary students affects their annual state test scores in math. The University of LaVerne. ProQuest (pending journal publication).
Influencing early math learning may have long-term impacts on high school and college success. Practicing mindfulness regularly reduces math anxiety and improves performance on math tests. In this controlled trial, two comparable schools were evaluated, one K-6 school that used Inner Explorer regularly and another that did not use Inner Explorer. Their 6th-grade math scores on California standardized tests (CAASPP--California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress) were measured to compare students who practiced regularly against those who did not. The school that used Inner Explorer showed a statistically significant increase of 7.8 points, equating to an improvement of 21% in the 6th-grade math test scores.
META REVIEW of Mindfulness-Based School Interventions
Phan ML, Renshaw TL, Caramanico J, Greeson JM, MacKenzie E, Atkinson-Diaz Z, Doppelt N, Tai H, Mandell DS, Nuske HJ. Mindfulness-based school interventions: A systematic review of outcome evidence quality by study design. Mindfulness (N Y). 2022 Jul;13(7):1591-1613. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-022-01885-9
This systematic review evaluated 77 studies conducted on Mindfulness-Based School interventions, specifically to evaluate the quality of the design of the studies, as well as the quantity of evidence across studies. This review included 2 previous studies on Inner Explorer. The review found overall promising results to support the integration of high-quality mindfulness programs into schools to support youth outcomes. The highest quality evidence ('A Grade') across outcomes indicated that MBSIs increased prosocial behavior, resilience, executive function, attention, and mindfulness, and decreased anxiety, attention problems/ADHD behaviors, and conduct behaviors. The highest quality evidence for well-being was split, with some studies showing increased well-being and some showing no improvements.
Anxiety
Hofmann, S. G., & Gómez, A. F. (2017). Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Anxiety and Depression. Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 40(4), 739-749. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psc.2017.08.008
This article reviews the ways in which cognitive and behavioral treatments for depression and anxiety have been advanced by the application of mindfulness practices. Research on mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) has increased exponentially in the past decade. The most common include Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT). MBIs have demonstrated efficacy in reducing anxiety and depression symptom severity in a broad range of treatment-seeking individuals. MBIs consistently outperform non-evidence-based treatments and active control conditions, such as health education, relaxation training, and supportive psychotherapy. MBIs also perform comparably to cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). The treatment principles of MBIs for anxiety and depression are compatible with those of standard CBT.
Hoge, E. et al. (2018). The effect of mindfulness meditation training on biological acute stress responses in generalized anxiety disorder. Psychiatry Research, 262, 328-332. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2017.01.006
Mindfulness-based interventions have increased in popularity in psychiatry, but the impact of these treatments on disorder-relevant biomarkers would greatly enhance efficacy and mechanistic evidence. If Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is successfully treated, relevant biomarkers should change, supporting the impact of treatment and suggesting improved resilience to stress. MBSR participants had a significantly greater reduction in ACTH AUC compared to control participants. Similarly, the MBSR group had a greater reduction in inflammatory cytokines' AUC concentrations. We found larger reductions in stress markers for patients with GAD in the MBSR class compared to control; this provides the first combined hormonal and immunological evidence that MBSR may enhance resilience to stress.
Hoge EA, Bui E, Mete M, Dutton MA, Baker AW, Simon NM. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction vs Escitalopram for the Treatment of Adults With Anxiety Disorders: A Randomized Clinical Trial. (2022.) JAMA Psychiatry. 2023;80(1):13-21. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2022.3679
In this randomized clinical trial, researchers compared the impact of MBSR to that of escitalopram (a generic form of Lexapro antidepressant) for the impact on anxiety disorders. Results were promising in that they demonstrated that the MBSR participants experienced the same level of benefit as those in the pharmacological group. This is exciting evidence that a non- pharmacological intervention can produce similar results without any negative side effects commonly associated with pharmacological interventions.
Marusak HA, Elrahal F, Peters CA, Kundu P, Lombardo MV, Calhoun VD, Goldberg EK, Cohen C, Taub JW, Rabinak CA. (2018). Mindfulness and dynamic functional neural connectivity in children and adolescents. Behav Brain Res.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbr.2017.09.010
An fMRI study of 42 racially & economically diverse at-risk youth ages 7-17 demonstrated that the more mindful youth were more able to flexibly shift in and out of different brain states throughout the course of the brain scan. This study also found that the more flexible their brains were, the less anxiety they reported. These brain states were associated with different patterns of connectivity between brain networks involved in mind wandering, attention, and emotion processing. This brain flexibility may help explain some of the positive reported benefits of mindfulness training in children and adolescents, such as lower stress, anxiety, and improvements in self-control and resilience.
Zhou, X., et al. (2020). Effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction on anxiety symptoms in young people: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Psychiatry Research, 289, 113002. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113002
The authors evaluated the efficacy of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) for young people with anxiety symptoms. The meta-analysis suggested that MBSR significantly reduced anxiety symptoms compared to control conditions at post-treatment. However, the effect of MBSR on anxiety symptoms in young people may be affected by different intervention duration, especially the significance in a short-term intervention (less than 8 weeks). Current evidence indicates MBSR has superior efficacy compared with control conditions in treating young people with anxiety symptoms.
Behavioral, Cognitive & Developmental
Black, D. S., & Fernando, R. (2014). Mindfulness Training and Classroom Behavior Among Lower-Income and Ethnic Minority Elementary School Children. Journal of Child and Family studies, 23(7), 1242-1246.https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-013-9784-4
This study examined the effect of teacher-reported changes in classroom behavior as a result of a 5- week school-based mindfulness program. 409 kindergarten through sixth grade students were evaluated at pre, post, and 7-week post-intervention with regard to classroom behavior. Of the 409 students, 83% were enrolled in a California free lunch program and 95.7% were from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds, including 52.3% Hispanics and 28.0% African Americans in Kindergarten through 6th grades. Teachers reported significant results for improved classroom behavior, including paying attention, participation, self-control and caring, and respect for others. These results were held at the 7-week post-intervention evaluation. Additional mindfulness training was shown to continue gains in students' ability to pay attention.
Bögels, Susan & Oort, Frans & Potharst, Eva & Roosmalen, Ruud & Williams, J. & Bruin, Esther. (2021). Family Mindfulness Training for Childhood ADHD: Short- and Long-Term Effects on Children, Fathers and Mothers. Mindfulness. 12. 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-021-01761-y
Mindfulness-based interventions for ADHD are a novel treatment approach for which promising study results have begun to emerge. This study utilized a waiting period design, rather than a randomized controlled design, and used pre-post and 1-year follow-up ratings collections. The mindfulness training was an 8-week program with daily practice for 167 children aged 7-19, and their parents. Ratings collected immediately following the intervention, and 8-weeks after it ended, showed significant improvements in all areas. This was true for boys and girls, for children and adolescents, and did not depend on whether children were receiving medication. At the 1- year follow-up, these improvements remained evident, and ADHD symptoms actually had diminished further based on parents' report. The magnitude of the improvements in ADHD symptoms were in a range that would be considered a large effect. The authors note, however, that long-term follow-up data was only obtained on just over half the original sample. Similar results were found for parents' report of their own ADHD symptoms, as well as a reduction in their own emotions and behavioral problems and reduced stress.
Carsley, D., Khoury, B., & Heath, N. L. (2017). Effectiveness of Mindfulness Interventions for Mental Health in Schools: a Comprehensive Meta-analysis. Mindfulness, 9(3), 693- 707.https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-017-0839-2
Mindfulness interventions have increasingly been incorporated in elementary and high school classroom
s to support students' mental health and well-being; however, there is little research examining the specific factors contributing to the effectiveness of the interventions. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to examine the specific effects of and moderators contributing to school-based mindfulness interventions for mental health in youth. A systematic review of studies was conducted. A total of 24 studies (n = 3977) were included in the meta-analysis. Overall, mindfulness interventions were found to be helpful, with small to moderate significant effects pre-post intervention compared to control groups; however, interventions that were delivered during late adolescence (15-18) and that consisted of combinations of various mindfulness activities had the largest effects on mental health and well-being outcomes.
Diamond, Adele & Lee, Kathleen (2011). Interventions shown to aid executive function: Development in children 4 to 12 years old. Science, 333, 959-964.https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1204529
This review looks at 6 activities used to improve executive functions (EF). It states that all successful programs involve repeated practice. In the mindful awareness group, with 7 to 9 year-olds they found a significant improvement with self-regulation and emotional control skills in children who had initially poorer EFs than those with initially better EFs compared with controls.
Dunning, D. L., et al. (2018). Research Review: The effects of mindfulness-based Interventions on cognition and mental health in children and adolescents - a meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.12980
Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) are an increasingly popular way of attempting to improve the behavioral, cognitive, and mental health outcomes of children and adolescents, though there is a suggestion that enthusiasm has moved ahead of the evidence base. Most evaluations of MBIs are either uncontrolled or nonrandomized trials. This meta-analysis aims to establish the efficacy of MBIs for children and adolescents in studies that have adopted a Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) design. Across all RCTs, the authors found significant positive effects of MBIs, relative to controls, for the outcome categories of Mindfulness, Executive Functioning, Attention, Depression, Anxiety/Stress, and Negative Behaviors, with small effect sizes.
Flook, L. et al. (2010). The effects of mindful awareness practices on executive function in elementary school children, Journal of Applied School Psychology, 26: 1, 70-95. https://doi.org/10.1080/15377900903379125
These two pilot studies demonstrated that mindful awareness practices improve executive function in elementary school children. Children who were initially less well-regulated showed the strongest improvements subsequent to training, as compared to children in the control group who did not receive the training. Specifically, there was an improvement in self-regulatory abilities among preschool and elementary school students who participated in an 8-week modified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) training program, taught in two 30-minute sessions per week.
Lemberger-Truelove ME, Ceballos PL, Molina CE, Carbonneau KJ. (2021). Growth in Middle School Students' Curiosity, Executive Functioning, and Academic Achievement: Results From a Theory-Informed SEL and MBI School Counseling Intervention. Professional School Counseling. https://doi.org/10.1177/2156759X211007654
109 ethnically diverse middle school students, including 20% African American and 63% Hispanic children, participated in a modified 6-week MBSEL program delivered by counselors using the Advocating Student-within Environment (ASE) approach. The classroom randomized program produced significant effects for the treatment group in students' changes in stress tolerance, social curiosity, executive functioning (i.e., shift, plan and organize and task monitoring), and academic achievement (i.e., mathematics, science, English, and social studies).
Lindsay EK. (2021) Mindfulness interventions for offsetting health risk following early life stress: Promising directions. Brain, Behavior, & Immunity- Health. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbih.2021.100338
This paper examines the positive impact of mindfulness interventions on Early Life Stress (ELS). Early life stress (ELS), common to childhood maltreatment, socioeconomic disadvantage, and racial discrimination, is thought to create a proinflammatory phenotype that increases risk for poor health in adulthood. African Americans in particular are at increased risk of experiencing ELS due to socio- economic and racial disparities, among other factors. The author proposes that ongoing negative impacts of ELS may be ameliorated by mindfulness practice. Further extrapolation of this concept implies that interrupting ELS or reducing the immediate impact of ELS in childhood may also reduce the negative long-term health impact of ELS in adulthood.
Lopez, L. et al (2020). A Randomized Controlled Trial of a Brief Daily Mindfulness Intervention in 39 Head Start Classrooms. [pending publication]. University of South Florida.
The Office of Head Start has emphasized a focus on instruction of school readiness skills such as pre-literacy, oral language, and executive functioning alongside a focus on trauma-informed care to ensure Head Start graduates start kindergarten at an equal advantage to their higher-resourced peers. This Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) was conducted with staff in 39 Head Start classrooms across 13 centers. They implemented Inner Explorer's 5-minute-a-day Early Learning series when school was in session. Teachers in the intervention sites experienced significant reductions in stress, burnout, and secondary trauma, as well as increased mindfulness, classroom management and compassion satisfaction. Students were assessed on measures of Executive Functioning (EF) skills, including Memory, Inhibitory Control, Attention Shifting, and Oral Language and Pre-literacy skills. Students performed better on EF measures of Inhibitory Control and Attention Shifting after implementing the IE program.
Mak, C., et al. (2018). Efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Attention and Executive Function in Children and Adolescents Systematic Review. Mindfulness, 9, 59-78. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-017-0770-6
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of mindfulness-based interventions including mindful movements such as yoga on attention and executive function in children and adolescents. Systematic searches were conducted, including studies consisting of randomized or quasi-randomized controlled trials with a mindfulness-based intervention were assessed for quality, and relevant data was extracted and collated. Thirteen randomized control trials were identified as meeting inclusion criteria. Studies recruited adolescents or children that were typically developing, diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, orphans, or had reading difficulties, or in correctional schools/institutions. The study found that mindfulness-based interventions are promising approaches to targeting attention and executive function in children and adolescents, especially with the use of computerized measures as outcome measures.
Valero, M., Cebolla, A., & Colomer, C. (2022). Mindfulness Training for Children with ADHD and Their Parents: A Randomized Control Trial. Journal of Attention Disorders, 26(5), 755-766. https://doi.org/10.1177/10870547211027636
This randomized controlled study evaluated the efficacy of an 8-week mindfulness training program (MyMind) on children with ADHD and their parents. 30 children (9-14 years old) with an ADHD diagnosis and their parents. Participants were randomized into two groups, the MYmind group (n=15) and a wait-list group (n=15). Participants were assessed in three time periods: pre-, post-intervention, and at 6-month follow-up. After the program, parents reported a decrease in parenting stress and improvements in parenting styles. Six months after the intervention, parents reported significant improvements in children's inattention symptoms, executive functions, learning problems, aggression, and peer relations. Overreactivity was the only variable that showed a decrease in both the post-test and follow-up periods. This shows an ongoing impact over time, even after the program had ended, possibly indicating an integration of skills that continued to improve outcomes.
Vickery, C. E., & Dorjee, D. (2016). Mindfulness Training in Primary Schools Decreases Negative Affect and Increases Meta-Cognition in Children. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 2025. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.02025
An 8-week mindfulness program (Paws b) for children aged 7-9 years was delivered by school teachers within a regular school curriculum. Pre-post surveys found a decrease in negative affect and a large teacher-reported improvement in meta-cognition, as measured by the BRIEF scales of 5 indices: Initiate, Working Memory, Plan/Organize, Organization of Materials, and Monitor. In addition, 76% of the children reported that they "liked" practicing mindfulness in school and wanted to continue.
Bullying/Aggressive Behavior
Liu X, Xiao R, Tang W. (2022). The Impact of School-Based Mindfulness Intervention on Bullying Behaviors Among Teenagers: Mediating Effect of Self-Control. Journal of Interpersonal Violence. https://doi.org/10.1177/08862605211052047
Students who engage in bullying behaviors are also found to lack empathy and self-control. This study evaluated a cluster of students who received a mindfulness intervention compared to those who did not. A cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted, in which the experimental group received mindfulness intervention, and the control group did not. The measured outcomes included: bullying behavior, self-control, and trait mindfulness. They showed significant positive impact of the mindfulness intervention group. The post-test scores of trait mindfulness and self-control in the experimental group significantly increased while the scores of bullying behavior significantly decreased. Additionally, trait mindfulness was positively associated with self-control, whereas trait mindfulness and self-control were both negatively associated with bullying behavior. The mediating effect of self-control accounted for 50% of the overall effect of trait mindfulness on bullying behavior.
Franco C, Amutio A, López-González L, Oriol X, Martínez-Taboada C. Effect of a Mindfulness Training Program on the Impulsivity and Aggression Levels of Adolescents with Behavioral Problems in the Classroom. Front Psychol. 2016 Sep 22;7:1385.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01385
Impulsivity is a risk factor associated with reactive aggression and antisocial behavior during adolescence. Aggression and impulsivity have both been shown to lead to substance abuse, mental disorders, reading problems, and poor academic results as well. Mindfulness skills can help students stay focused on the present, reducing obsessive ruminations and enhancing the experience of positive emotions, as well as diminishing impulsive behaviors, which, in general, can then lead to aggressive behaviors. In this study, a small group of 12- 19-year-olds were randomized into either a control or intervention group. The mindfulness program consisted of a 15-minute mindfulness training delivered once weekly over 10 weeks, and results from the pre-post surveys demonstrated reductions of approximately 24% in verbal aggression and 10% in the non-planned impulsivity dimension.
Zhang, A., Zhang, Q. How could mindfulness-based intervention reduce aggression in adolescents? Mindfulness, emotion dysregulation and self-control as mediators. Curr Psychol (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-01778-5
An 8-week mindfulness-based intervention delivered to 80 teenagers resulted in significant increases in mindfulness and self-control, and the study authors determined that these changes mediated a corresponding decrease in emotion dysregulation and aggression.
Community Impact
Coatsworth JD, Timpe Z, Nix RL, Duncan LG, Greenberg MT. (2018). Changes in Mindful Parenting: Associations With Changes in Parenting, Parent-Youth Relationship Quality, and Youth Behavior. J Soc Social Work Res. https://doi.org/10.1086/701148
The study investigated changes in Mindful parenting and the impact on developmental outcomes for youth. Participants include 432 families. Changes in mindful parenting were strongly associated with positive parenting, Parent-Youth Relationship Quality, and youth aggression. It was noted that fathers who received mindfulness training showed greater change in mindful parenting, especially with regard to emotional awareness of the child, than fathers who did not receive the training. According to the authors, " changes in mindful parenting... Could lead to reduced youth behavioral problems (eg. aggression and substance abuse) and provide additional evidence for the contribution that mindfulness activities can make to standard parent training."
Lopez-Maya E, Olmstead R, Irwin MR. (2019). Mindfulness Meditation and Improvement in Depressive Symptoms Among Spanish- and English Speaking Adults: A Randomized, Controlled, Comparative Efficacy Trial. PLoS One.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0219425
The majority of research to date has been conducted in English-speaking populations. However, according to the authors, " Latino immigrants experience acculturative stress and increased depressive symptoms". Two groups of adults between 18-60 years old, one Spanish-speaking, one English-speaking, and both with moderate levels of perceived stress, were randomized. Participants received either 6 weeks of mindfulness awareness practices (MAPs) or health education (HE). Participants in the MAPs group not only increased levels of mindfulness but also showed greater improvements in depressive symptoms at post-intervention than (HE). The authors concluded that "the scalability, relatively low cost, and accessibility of mindfulness programs have the potential to address the need for Community based interventions to be delivered to Spanish-speaking communities in the U.S".
Depression
Chi, X., et al. (2018). Effects of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction on Depression in Adolescents and Young Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Frontiers in Psychology, 9 .https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01034
This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) in the treatment of depression among adolescents and young adults. Electronic databases and references in articles were searched. Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) evaluating MBSR and reporting outcomes for depressive symptoms among young people aged 12 to 25 years were included. Eighteen RCTs featuring 2,042 participants were included in the meta-analysis. The moderate effect size of MBSR suggests that it is a promising approach in terms of reducing depressive symptoms and can be widely applied to treat depression or depressive symptoms among young people with various levels of depression severity, from expressing depressive symptoms to having a clinical diagnosis of depression. Given an increasing interest in positive education, MBSR that targets positive mental health could be incorporated into school-based educational programs to promote students' emotional well-being. The study also found longer treatment duration (e.g., 8 weeks or more) is associated with a larger follow-up effect size. This may suggest that the use of full-length MBSR may be necessary for adolescents and young adults to result in a larger sustaining effect.
Heath, N. et al. (2016). The Relationship Between Mindfulness, Depressive Symptoms, and Non-suicidal Self-injury Amongst Adolescents. Archives of Suicide Research, 20(4), 635-649. https://doi.org/10.1080/13811118.2016.1162243
Mindfulness is often part of treatment for non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI); however, there has been limited research examining the role of mindfulness in NSSI. Thus, the current study sought to investigate the relationship between mindfulness, depressive symptoms and NSSI (past year) in adolescents with consideration of gender. Findings revealed that mindfulness and depressive symptoms were negatively correlated, although significantly less so for the NSSI group. Second, the NSSI group reported greater depressive symptoms and less mindfulness. Finally, mindfulness was found to partially mediate the effect of depressive symptoms on NSSI. The present study is the first to provide empirical support for the protective role of mindfulness in NSSI.
Cheang, R., Gillions, A. & Sparkes, E. (2019). Do Mindfulness-Based Interventions Increase Empathy and Compassion in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review. Journal of Child and Family Studies. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-019-01413-9
Empathy and compassion are important components of prosocial behavior, which can lead to greater peer acceptance and positive relationships in children and adolescents. Cultivating an environment in which racial bias and discrimination are decreased, while empathy and kindness are increased, would make a positive impact on stressful experiences of diverse racial and ethnic populations, and correspondingly will lead to reductions in health disparities and negative health outcomes. This systematic review of the impact of mindfulness-based interventions on children and adolescents 5-18 years old found 16 studies that provided convincing evidence that mindfulness training increases levels of empathy. Further, there was some evidence to suggest that MBIs increase self-compassion in this population and that this was correlated with an increase in mindfulness as well.
Lueke, A., & Gibson, B. (2016). Brief Mindfulness Meditation Reduces Discrimination. Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice.
https://doi.org/10.1037/cns0000081
White participants listened to a 10-minute mindfulness meditation before playing a game in which they interacted with Black partners in this randomized controlled study. The simulation required the participants to trust the partners. Those who practiced mindfulness showed an increase in state mindfulness scores and demonstrated significantly less discrimination against partners of different race in the trust game than either of the 2 control groups.
Oyler DL, Price-Blackshear MA, Pratscher SD, Bettencourt BA. (2021). Mindfulness and intergroup bias: A systematic review. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations. 25(4), 1107-1138. https://doi.org/10.1177/1368430220978694
The tendency to favor the ingroup over the outgroup has negative consequences for individuals, groups, and societies. Social psychologists have explored a variety of techniques to reduce these intergroup biases. Emerging research suggests that mindfulness may be effective for this purpose. This systematic review of 36 studies found a small but significant positive effect of mindfulness on improved levels of intergroup bias.