Mindfulness Training as an Intervention for Substance User Incarcerated Adolescents: A Pilot Grounded Theory Study

Abstract

Mindfulness-based treatment for adolescents is a clinical and research field still in its infancy. Literature is needed to address specific subcultural populations to expand this growing field. Further, minimal literature addresses the process of teaching mindfulness to adolescents. The current study investigated how to effectively teach mindfulness to 10 incarcerated adolescent substance users (N = 10) in an urban California detention setting. A grounded theory approach was used to collect and analyze interview data over a 1-year period during 2011 and 2012 in order to develop an initial theory for teaching mindfulness to incarcerated adolescent substance users. Implications, limitations, and future research are discussed.

Does Mindfulness Meditation Increase Effectiveness of Substance Abuse Treatment with Incarcerated Youth? A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

“…This study extends previous research (Himelstein 2011;Himelstein et al 2012a, b;Himelstein et al 2014;Leonard et al 2013) demonstrating that mindfulness-based interventions are feasible treatments for incarcerated and atrisk youth populations. Furthermore, this study contributes a randomized controlled trial, albeit pilot, to an emerging field in need of more robust clinical research (see Leonard et al 2013 for another RCT design examining the effects of mindfulness with incarcerated youth).…”

“…Initial research implementing mindfulness-based interventions among incarcerated youth has also demonstrated promising results (Barnert et al 2014;Himelstein 2011;Himelstein et al 2012aHimelstein et al , 2012bHimelstein et al , 2014Leonard et al 2013). These have included 8-week programs focusing on formal mindfulness meditation and other awareness activities that resulted in decreased impulsivity (Himelstein 2011), programs incorporating formal techniques into weekly classes, and intensive daylongs which resulted in increased healthy self-regulation (Barnert et al 2014;Himelstein et al 2012a), and other similar programs resulting in increased awareness and subjective well-being (Himelstein et al 2012b), and improved attentional task performance (Leonard et al 2013).…”

A School-Based Mindfulness Pilot Study for Ethnically Diverse At-Risk Adolescents

“…However, as the semester progressed, participants in the mindfulness class grew stronger in their belief that their class was effective, and those in the control group seemed to lose confidence in the effectiveness of their class. Being initially resistant to a school outsider coming to present “foreign” activities such as using one’s senses to explore a raisin or spending a few minutes to “feel one’s breath” is completely understandable, and has been reported in similar studies (Himelstein, 2011; Himelstein et al, 2014). As explained by the school administration prior to the beginning of the study, these adolescents have experienced frequent and often profound disappointments by adults over the course of their lives, and therefore are likely to be reluctant to try new experiences, especially when presented by someone with whom they do not have a prior trusting relationship.…”

“…Interventions have been implemented in a range of settings, including homeless shelters (Grabbe, Nguy, & Higgins, 2012), juvenile detention centers (Himelstein, 2011; Himelstein, Saul, Garcia-Romeu, & Pinedo, 2014; Leonard et al, 2013), outpatient clinics (Britton et al, 2010; Kerrigan et al, 2011; Sibinga et al, 2011), and schools (Sibinga et al, 2013). In particular, incarcerated youth who had previously shown resistance to other psychological interventions were more accepting of a mindfulness-based program and found it to be meaningful, educational, and beneficial (Himelstein, 2011, 2012).…”

Evaluation of Yoga for Preventing Adolescent Substance Use Risk Factors in a Middle School Setting: A Preliminary Group-Randomized Controlled Trial

“…For example, Sussman et al (2001) and Idrisov et al (2013) found that a teen smoking cessation program that involved components of yoga had beneficial effects on quit rates, future smoking expectation, and motivation to quit. In addition, a qualitative analysis of mindfulness for incarcerated adolescents suggests that mindfulness may be effective for treating adolescent substance use (Himelstein et al 2014). Indeed, Black et al (2012a) found that higher levels of trait mindfulness were inversely associated with adolescent smoking via the positive influence of mindfulness on negative affect and perceived stress, while Black et al (2012b) found that adolescents with high intentions to smoke were more likely to smoke if they were low in trait mindfulness rather than high in trait mindfulness.…”