Background:
Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBIs) can improve mental health
and well-being in adolescents with chronic illnesses. However, there are many barriers such
as reduced mobility and distance which compromise accessibility to MBIs.
Objective:
The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the Mindful
Awareness and Resilience Skills for Adolescents (MARS-A) program in youth with chronic
illnesses delivered in person or via eHealth.
Method:
In this mixed method randomized controlled trial, participants received weekly 90-
minute long MARS-A sessions for 8 weeks, either in person or via a secure eHealth audiovisual
platform allowing group interactions in real time. Data was collected at baseline,
immediately after and two months post-MBI through saliva analyses, electronic participant
logs and validated questionnaires assessing mindfulness skills and mental health outcomes.
Results:
Seven participants per group completed the intervention (total n=14, completion
rate 77.8%). Paired t-test analyses revealed a significant reduction in depression/anxiety
scores immediately post-intervention (p=0.048, Cohen’s d=0.934) and a significant reduction
in pre-post mindfulness cortisol levels at week 8 (p=0.022, Cohen’s d=0.534) in the eHealth
group. Frequency and duration of weekly individual home practice (eHealth: 6.5 times; 28.8
minutes; in-person: 6.0 times; 30.6 minutes) were similar in both groups and maintained at
follow-up.
Conclusion:
This is the first study comparing in-person and eHealth delivery of an 8-week
MBI for adolescents with chronic illnesses. Although the study was limited by the small size
of the sample, our results suggest that eHealth delivery of MBIs may represent a promising
avenue for increasing availability in this population.
The relationships between mental health, protective factors and acculturation among Southeast Asian youth were examined in this study using a gender-based analysis. Population-based data from the 2008 British Columbia Adolescent Health Survey were used to examine differences in extreme stress and despair by acculturation. Associations between emotional distress and hypothesized protective factors were examined using logistic regression. Stratified analyses were performed to assess gender-related differences. Recent immigrant youth reported higher odds of emotional distress. Family connectedness and school connectedness were linked to lower odds of extreme stress and despair among girls. Family connectedness was associated with lower odds of extreme stress and despair among boys. Higher cultural connectedness was associated with lower odds of despair among boys but with higher odds of extreme stress among girls. Findings are discussed in relation to acculturation and gender-based patterns in protective factors for mental health among Southeast Asian immigrant youth.
An eight-week group MBI is a feasible intervention for adolescents with chronic pain, and warrants further investigation as a potential alternative to cognitive behavioural therapy in this population.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.