Healthy Learning Mind - a school-based mindfulness and relaxation program: a study protocol for a cluster randomized controlled trial

Abstract

BackgroundMindfulness has shown positive effects on mental health, mental capacity and well-being among adult population. Among children and adolescents, previous research on the effectiveness of mindfulness interventions on health and well-being has shown promising results, but studies with methodologically sound designs have been called for. Few intervention studies in this population have compared the effectiveness of mindfulness programs to alternative intervention programs with adequate sample sizes.Methods/designOur primary aim is to explore the effectiveness of a school-based mindfulness intervention program compared to a standard relaxation program among a non-clinical children and adolescent sample, and a non-treatment control group in school context. In this study, we systematically examine the effects of mindfulness intervention on mental well-being (primary outcomes being resilience; existence/absence of depressive symptoms; experienced psychological strengths and difficulties), cognitive functions, psychophysiological responses, academic achievements, and motivational determinants of practicing mindfulness.The design is a cluster randomized controlled trial with three arms (mindfulness intervention group, active control group, non-treatment group) and the sample includes 59 Finnish schools and approx. 3 000 students aged 12–15 years.Intervention consists of nine mindfulness based lessons, 45 mins per week, for 9 weeks, the dose being identical in active control group receiving standard relaxation program called Relax. The programs are delivered by 14 educated facilitators.Students, their teachers and parents will fill-in the research questionnaires before and after the intervention, and they will all be followed up 6 months after baseline. Additionally, students will be followed 12 months after baseline. For longer follow-up, consent to linking the data to the main health registers has been asked from students and their parents.DiscussionThe present study examines systematically the effectiveness of a school-based mindfulness program compared to a standard relaxation program, and a non-treatment control group. A strength of the current study lies in its methodologically rigorous, randomized controlled study design, which allows novel evidence on the effectiveness of mindfulness over and above a standard relaxation program.Trial registrationISRCTN18642659. Retrospectively registered 13 October 2015.

Social Cognitions and Mental Health as Predictors of Adolescents’ Mindfulness Practice

“…The ethical review board of the University of Helsinki reviewed the study protocol (Statement 1/2014). See the study protocol for more information about the trial (Volanen et al 2016).…”

“…The mental health, social cognitive, and mindfulness practice variables used in the present study are presented in Table 1. All measures used in the surveys can be found in the trial protocol (Volanen et al 2016). The same mental health variables are used in the current study as were used in the main outcome paper for consistency.…”

“…To examine social cognitions and mental health as predictors of mindfulness practice uptake in youth, the current study used a dataset from a large cluster-randomized controlled trial (cRCT) called Healthy Learning Mind (HLM; Volanen et al 2016). The 9-week Healthy Learning Mind program was conducted in southern Finnish schools among 12-15-year-olds.…”

Applying Behavioral Theory to Increase Mindfulness Practice Among Adolescents: an Exploratory Intervention Study Using a Within-Trial RCT Design

“…The present paper describes two studies which were embedded within a larger trial of a school-based mindfulness intervention called healthy learning mind (HLM; Volanen et al 2016Volanen et al , 2018. HLM is a 9-week school-based mindfulness program delivered to adolescents aged 12-15.…”

“…It is based on the B.b^(pronounced Bdot b^) program developed in the UK (Kuyken et al 2013) and consists of classroom-based lessons covering different mindfulness techniques. HLM was tested in a large cluster-randomized controlled trial (cRCT) among 56 schools in southern Finland in order to examine its effects on mental well-being (e.g., resilience, depressive symptoms, and total difficulties), cognitive functions, psychophysiological responses, and academic achievement at post-treatment, 6-month, and 1-year follow-ups (Volanen et al 2016(Volanen et al , 2018. The HLM trial was not conducted in all schools simultaneously, but rather over the course of four trial periods (i.e., batches), which allowed for the analysis of one batch to inform the creation of a booster that was delivered in a subsequent batch.…”