Children are experiencing increasing amounts of adversity and with the current raised interest in Mindfulness techniques in adults, there is a call to expand this research to incorporate the child and youth population.

Reasons for Promoting Mindfulness in Children and Youth

Adaptation will need to occur in order to be able to use these skills with this age group, but several practices are currently in the process of being explored. However, the current enthusiasm for the project has been stated to outweigh the research that supports it.

Contemplative Practices in Children and Youth

An experimental design was used comparing minority children who received mindfulness intervention (MI) to those who received health education intervention (HEI) immediately pre- and postintervention. The result shows that group of children in MI has greater decrease in depression compare to HEI.

A Pilot Study Examining the Effect of Mindfulness on Depression and Anxiety for Minority Children

- Students exhibited a significant increase in attentional skills such as speed and quality of processing, selective attention, and processing speed.
- Students exhibited a significant decrease in stress factors relating to family, health, and academics.

The Effects of a Mindfulness Intervention Program on Students

A study conducted in Eastside Los Angeles amongst Latinx families in the area showed that participation in community-derived mindfulness-based intervention training led to improvements in perceived stress, emotion regulation in parents,  and increased family social support for children.

Mindfulness-based Interventions for Latinx Families

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction programs adapted for adults with autism spectrum disorder and their caregivers (mainly parents) showed an increase in subjective wellbeing and related mental health issues plus a further increase when participants came back in for a follow up.  A mindfulness based intervention called MYmind was adapted for adolescents (ages 8-19) and their parents.  Children showed improvements in social communication problems, emotional and behavioral functioning whereas parents improved in terms of parenting and parental mindful awareness.  Both these studies show that mindfulness-based programs can improve both autism spectrum disorder symptoms and common comorbid emotional and behavioral problems while also offering support for families.

Mindfulness and Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

It is noted that there are possible benefits for children participating in different mindfulness-related activities, such as yoga and meditation. However, it should be noted that more in-depth research is needed to measure change over time.

Villanova University

University of California, Davis

There are various populations that can benefit from the use of mindfulness-based interventions, and these populations can differ in age, gender, race, orientations, etc. 

- Children and youth
- Parents
- Those Suffering From Addiction
- Patients with anxiety or depression
- Patients with eating disorders
- Those suffering from minority stress
- Traumatic Brain Injury patients
- Healthcare workers
- Adult Survivors of Childhood Trauma 
- Athletes
- People Who Have Insomnia
- War veterans who suffer from PTSD
- Incarcerated Individuals

Populations that Benefit from Mindfulness Interventions

Greenberg, Mark T., and Alexis R. Harris. “Nurturing Mindfulness in Children and Youth: Current State of Research.” Child Development Perspectives, vol. 6, no. 2, 2012, pp. 161–66. Wiley Online Library, doi:https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1750-8606.2011.00215.x.


Nurturing Mindfulness in Children and Youth: Current State of Research

Mindfulness in Children and Youth

Mindfulness has been studied for its usage in those suffering from addiction to substances. Mindfulness has been shown in some scenarios to be effective in decreasing addictive behaviors in people addicted to substances such as opioids, heroin, cocaine, drinking, and smoking. 

Mindfulness for those suffering from substance use disorder

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) was one of the original treatments for mental disorders like depression and anxiety.  While CBT is still a very popular treatment, mindfulness-based interventions like Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) have been shown to be as effective as CBT, creating the "new" types of treatment.

Mindfulness Interventions in Patients with Depression and Anxiety

- Hypothesis which states that internalized stigma contributes to existing mental health disparities in marginalized communities

Minority Stress Hypothesis

Mindfulness has been shown to be effective in reducing depression and anxiety symptoms in adults who had  (ACE) adverse childhood experiences that led to trauma.

Mindfulness in Adult Survivors of Childhood Trauma 

There are possible benefits for people who suffering from addiction from mindfulness-related activities.

Those Suffering From Addiction

Mindfulness interventions have been shown to be beneficial for those suffering with eating disorders including anorexia nervosa, binge eating disorder, and bulimia nervosa.

Mindfulness for patients with eating disorders

It has been proven that mindfulness-based interventions have been successful in reducing anxiety, symptoms of stress, improving well-being, and cognitive ability in athletes. Mindfulness-based interventions allow athletes to separate themselves from their feelings, thoughts, and perceptions by taking on a role as an "external observer."

Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Athletes

In general, Mindfulness Based Interventions have the strongest effects on self-reported sleep quality and on decreasing total wake time in people with insomnia. Additionally, it has been shown to positively affect the severity of insomnia as well. These benefits are achieved because through the the targeting of arousal in mindfulness practices, a mindful stance can be achieved, thus decreasing sleep arousal and allowing for normal sleep patterns to emerge. 

Mindfulness and Effects on Insomnia

It has been supported by mutliple studies that MBI's such as Mindfulness Meditations and Vipassana Meditation help those involved in the justice system reduce stress, anger, substance use and improve emotional regulations.

Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Incarcerated Individuals

Through mindfulness practices, parents are able to not only improve their own health and deal with the stress of being a parent but also improve their relationship with their children.  With their parents learning mindfulness practices, children are able to form more secure attachment styles and improve their own behavior.

Mindfulness in Parents

 Mindfulness-based therapies combines the use of mindfulness principles and practices with behavioral strategies for insomnia. Mindfulness-based therapies can provide an alternative treatment to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) by addressing hyper-arousal symptoms of insomnia. With the development of a conscious awareness through mindfulness meditation, there is a reduction in cognitive and physiological hyper-arousal, which targets chronic insomnia.

Mindfulness and Behavior Therapy for Insomnia

A disorder that results from experiencing or witnessing something that makes one feel afraid, terrified, or powerless and makes them think that their life, bodily integrity, or safety are in danger. It manifests as painful and intrusive memories of the stressful event, jitteriness, ongoing negative emotional states, social distancing, violent outbursts, and avoiding reminders of the incident.

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