The aims of this study were to compare the effects of Mindfulness-Based Interventions at nine weeks and at six-month follow-up, and teaching as usual (inactive controls) in school context among 12-15 year-old pupils; the paper describes the trial design, methodology, and results; provides a discussion of findings, and strengths and limitations of the trial; and includes supplementary materials for download.
Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBIs) have shown promising effects on mental health among children and adolescents, but high-quality studies examining the topic are lacking. The present study assessed the effects of MBI on mental health in school-setting in an extensive randomized controlled trial. Finnish schoolchildren and adolescents, aged 12-15 years (sixth to eighth graders), from 56 schools were randomized into a nine-week MBI group, and control groups with a relaxation program or teaching as usual. The primary outcomes were resilience, socio-emotional functioning, and depressive symptoms at baseline, at completion of the programs at nine weeks (T9), and at follow-up at 26 weeks (T26). Overall, mindfulness did not show more beneficial effects on the primary outcomes compared to the controls except for resilience for which a positive intervention effect was found at T9 in all participants as compared to the relaxation group. In addition, in gender and grade related analyses, MBI lowered depressive symptoms in girls at T26 and improved socio-emotional functioning at T9 and at T26 among seventh graders, as compared to relaxation. The authors note a limitation being that the inactive control group was smaller than the intervention and active control groups, reducing statistical power. They conclude that a short, nine-week MBI in school-setting provides slight benefits over a relaxation program and teaching as usual. Future research should investigate whether embedding regular mindfulness-based practice in curriculums could intensify the effects. Publisher Abstract Provided