Effects of a regional school-based mindfulness programme on students’ levels of Wellbeing and resiliency

Abstract

Mindfulness has recently shown promise in mental illness treatment and preventative contexts with school-aged young people. However, there is a shortage of studies investigating the effects of school-based mindfulness interventions on young people of a preadolescent and early-adolescent age. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of a regional multi-site school-based mindfulness programme on wellbeing and resiliency in UK school children aged 9-12 years old. A total of 1,138 children who received mindfulness training completed the Resiliency Scale for Children and Adolescents and the Stirling Children's Wellbeing Scale pre-and post-intervention. Results showed significant improvements following intervention delivery in positive emotional state, positive outlook, and resiliency, with resiliency effects maintained at a six-month follow-up assessment. Findings indicate that mindfulness delivered by school teachers can improve wellbeing and resiliency in children and young people.

“Let's keep calm and breathe”—A mindfulness meditation program in school and its effects on children's behavior and emotional awareness: An Australian pilot study

“…When compared to baseline, children's self‐report emotional awareness improved after 5 weeks of attending the meditation program. This finding is consistent with findings of Devcich et al's (2017) study and Schonert‐Reichl et al's (2015) study, which all highlight the benefit of practicing meditation on enhancing the acknowledgment and acceptance of emotional experiences rather than avoiding or suppressing them (Keller et al, 2017; Nelson et al, 2022). However, the finding is inconsistent with results obtained from Britton et al's (2014) study and Vickery and Dorjee's (2016) study, which found no improvements in emotional awareness during the program.…”

“…acknowledgment and acceptance of emotional experiences rather than avoiding or suppressing them (Keller et al, 2017;Nelson et al, 2022). However, the finding is inconsistent with results obtained from exercises and repetitive habits of thinking, feeling, and acting with gratitude and kindness, children might be more familiar with the meditation techniques and incorporate the activity into their daily routine.…”

“…Results indicate that generally intervention groups show significant improvements in emotional difficulties (Britton et al, 2014;Nelson et al, 2022), increases in subjective happiness (Nelson et al, 2022), improvements in attention and reduced anxiety (Santonastaso et al, 2020;Shapiro et al, 2015), and lower anxiety and aggression compared to control groups (Yoo et al, 2016). However, self-reported mood did not always respond (Crescentini et al, 2016), nor emotional awareness (Britton et al, 2014), and impact on academic skills is inconclusive (Filipe et al, 2021).…”

COVID-19-related future anxiety is associated with the health-related quality of life in school-aged children and adolescents—A cross-sectional study

“…Besides the increased incidence of symptoms of depressiveness and anxiety, fears about the future are also an important target for intervention programs. Therefore, long-term objectives for mental health care promotion should contain the implementation of school-based mental health promotion programs into standard educational practice to enhance resilience and coping skills that have been shown to positively impact the student's ability to manage daily stressors ( 58 – 60 ). However, implementing such programs into everyday life requires considerable time and could, e.g., first be examined for feasibility and acceptance as part of pilot projects in model regions.…”

Multiple Health Behavior Programs in School Settings: Strategies to Promote Transfer-of-Learning Through Life Skills Education

“…Schools may then choose to implement a new prevention program that addresses the problem, but this may further increase an overlap in content areas across potentially similar interventions. For example, in recent years, new interventions have been developed to prevent youth gambling (4), reduce problem internet use (5), and promote mindful meditation (6), yet when new programs are adopted and implemented there may be little consideration given to whether the new content overlaps with existing school programming. Also, most evidence-based programs focus on specific health domains and their evaluations typically focus only on those specific behavioral outcomes.…”