Can mindfulness-based interventions delivered by primary care providers in the office setting improve negative symptoms in adolescents with anxiety?

Abstract

Anxiety is a mental health condition affecting adolescents with negative side effects and consequences. Primary care providers are faced with a growing number of visits related to adolescent mental health and must be comfortable in assessing and treating the negative symptoms associated with anxiety. With the potential for anxiety to begin in adolescence and worsen in adulthood, a thorough search of the literature was completed to determine ways to help adolescents manage negative symptoms associated with anxiety and improve their coping skills. Mindfulness has been gaining popularity within the mental health community and therefore was chosen as the area of focus to determine how the implementation of mindfulness-based interventions in primary care could alleviate negative symptoms associated with adolescent anxiety. Upon completing the literature review, eight studies were chosen that highlighted how various care providers effectively delivered mindfulness interventions for adolescents experiencing anxiety, primarily within school and outpatient mental health settings. These studies showed trends related to positive effects including improving adolescent anxiety and improvements in other areas of the adolescents’ lives. Additionally, it was found that it was important for primary care providers to reinforce the importance of using a supportive approach including parents or caretakers as this was shown as a protective factor. Although there were no specific studies introducing mindfulness within adolescent primary care, a list of recommendations was developed to provide evidence-based rationale towards integrating mindfulness-based interventions within primary care. By doing so, this provides a foundation for mindfulness-based interventions that primary care providers can utilize to support adolescents in managing their negative symptoms associated with anxiety.