The Effect of Mindfulness Training on the Depression and Anxiety in Students with Learning Disabilities

Abstract

Background and Purpose: Students with learning disabilities are always exposed to a variety of psychological disorders, which can reduce their mental health and increase the risk of depression and anxiety in them. Therefore, present study aimed to investigate the effect of minfullness training on the depression and anxiety in children with learning disabilities. Method: This research was a quasi-experimental study with two-group pretest-posttest design. The sample included thirty 10-11 year-old male students with learning disabilities in Shiraz in the academic year of 2017-2018. They were selected by convenience sampling and then randomly assigned to either the experimental or control group (15 per group). Both groups completed Anxiety and Depression Scale (Ebesutani, 2017) at pretest and posttest stages. The experimental group underwent fifteen 45-min sessions of mindfulness training, while the control group recieved no training. Univariate ANCOVA was used to analyze the data. Results: Date analysis showed a significant decrease in the experiment group in terms of mean depression score (F=29.20 P < 0/05) and mean anxiety score (F=16.94 P < 0/05). Conclusion: Based on the results of the present research, it can be suggested that mindfulness training is an appropriate mechanism to decrease depression, anxiety, and probably other psychological problems in children with learning disabilities. This training increases the individual's attention to his/her own feelings and thoughts and as a result it can reduce stress.