Mindfulness Programs Boost Children’s Mental Health, Study Finds

Adults have long appreciated the mental health benefits of mindfulness. A recently published study in the International Journal of Spa and Wellness has demonstrated that there are positive impacts for children aged 9 to 12, too, when teachers deliver school-based mindfulness interventions.

As the negative impacts of COVID-19 on the health of children continue to be navigated, this research shows promise for a preventative program that may help to manage stress and increase resiliency in young children.

While research has demonstrated benefits of mindfulness for young ages before, this study adds to the limited research on school-based mindfulness intervention programs. These results bode well for how teachers can incorporate mindfulness into their daily practice with young students, which can help them manage mental health throughout their life.

How This Pilot Study Worked

For this research study, teachers delivered the Mindfulness Attention Programme (MAP) to a total of 1,138 children in the U.K. over a period of 9 weeks. Each session lasted for 45 minutes and attempted to teach coping skills to support children’s mental health, alongside daily mindful practice for two minutes after playtime and lunchtime.

Researchers found significant improvements in levels of well-being and resilience, with benefits in terms of positive emotional state and positive outlook, and the vulnerability and resource aspects of resiliency. These results add to growing research on the efficacy of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) to promote mental health benefits in children.

In terms of research limitations, it's worth noting the absence of a control group, the use of psychometric tests, the lack of mindfulness training requirement for teachers prior to their involvement in this study, and the limited diversity within the Derbyshire region of the U.K. Nonetheless, such a pilot study may provide insights for future programming for school-based mindfulness interventions.

The Benefits of MBIs

Maggie Yuan, EdD, LMHC, says, "Evidence continues to mount in favor of investing in mindfulness programs in schools to teach students effective self-regulation skills. Past and present research indicates that learning and applying these skills can lead to better social-emotional learning."

While this pilot study did not explore MBIs for improving academic outcomes or benefiting parents and teachers of these children, this may be fertile ground for future research to determine whether or not MBIs are a worthwhile investment for the mental health of children.

Yuan describes how mindfulness skills can teach kids that the mind is like a muscle, over which they can gain more control with practice. Given how learning regularly occurs in schools, mindful approaches can be easily incorporated.

Using Mindfulness to Develop Connections

Leela R. Magavi, MD, a psychiatrist who works with children, teens, and adults, says, "Many of the children I evaluate in clinic enjoy partaking in mindfulness activities with their parents. Regardless of whether the technique is correct, this time spent with family is invaluable and helps release stress and anger related to the uncertainty of this year."

In this way, mindfulness may offer opportunities to grow closer to others through engaging in the practice together. "Some children excitedly share mindfulness techniques they have constructed on their own; I encourage them to teach me, and we practice together in session," says Magavi.

Especially given how much children have faced during the pandemic, Magavi expressed pride in their resilience throughout this lamentable year. "When I teach children how to meditate, I keep things very simple. I request them to close their eyes and just focus on breathing. Some kids laugh and giggle at first, but they begin to love it with practice," says Magavi.

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