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.

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.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

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

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Pitzer College

Villanova University

University of Notre Dame

Boston University

Georgetown University

University of California, Davis

Syracuse University

University of Texas at Austin

Mindfulness Interventions refer to therapeutic approaches grounded in mindfulness to create a structured, replicable program. 

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

Garland, E.L., Howard, M.O. Mindfulness-based treatment of addiction: current state of the field and envisioning the next wave of research. Addict Sci Clin Pract 13, 14 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13722-018-0115-3

Mindfulness-based treatment of addiction: current state of the field and envisioning the next wave of research

Hofmann, S. G., &amp; Gómez, A. F. (2018). Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Anxiety and Depression. Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 40(4), 739–749. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psc.2017.08.008 

Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Anxiety and Depression

Chen, E.Y., Segal, K., Weissman, J., Zeffiro, T.A., Gallop, R., Linehan, M.M., Bohus, M. and Lynch, T.R. (2015), Adapting dialectical behavior therapy for outpatient adult anorexia nervosa—A pilot study. Int. J. Eat. Disord., 48: 123-132. https://doi-org.ezproxy.bu.edu/10.1002/eat.22360

Adapting Dialectical Behavior Therapy For OutpatientAdult Anorexia Nervosa—A Pilot Study

Klein, A. S., Skinner, J. B., & Hawley, K. M. (2012). Adapted group-based dialectical behaviour therapy for binge eating in a practicing clinic: clinical outcomes and attrition. European eating disorders review : the journal of the Eating Disorders Association, 20(3), e148–e153. https://doi.org/10.1002/erv.2165

Adapted group-based dialectical behaviour therapy for binge eating in a practicing clinic: clinical outcomes and attrition

Safer, Debra L, Telch, Christy F, & Agras, W. Stewart. (2001). Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Bulimia Nervosa. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 158(4), 632–634. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.158.4.632

Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Bulimia Nervosa

Vigna, A. J., Poehlmann-Tynan, J., & Koenig, B. W. (2017). Does Self-Compassion Facilitate Resilience to Stigma? A School-Based Study of Sexual and Gender Minority Youth. Mindfulness, 9(3), 914–924. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-017-0831-x 

Does Self-Compassion Facilitate Resilience to Stigma? A School-Based Study of Sexual and Gender Minority Youth

Bédard, M., et al. (2003) Pilot evaluation of a mindfulness-based intervention to improve quality of life among individuals who sustained traumatic brain injuries. Disability and Rehabilitation. 

Pilot evaluation of a mindfulness-based intervention to improve quality of life among individuals who sustained traumatic brain injuries 

Neff, K. D., Knox, M. C., Long, P., & Gregory, K. (2020). Caring for others without losing yourself: An adaptation of the Mindful Self‐Compassion Program for Healthcare Communities. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 76(9), 1543–1562. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.23007 

Self-Compassion Interventions for Healthcare Workers

Jekauc, D., et al. (2017) Effectiveness of a Mindfulness-Based Intervention for Athletes. Scientific Research Publishing: Psychology.

Effectiveness of a Mindfulness-Based Intervention for Athletes

Ong, J. C., & Moore, C. (2020). What do we really know about mindfulness and sleep health? Current Opinion in Psychology, 34, 18–22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2019.08.020

What do we really know about mindfulness and sleep health?

Dahm, K. A., Meyer, E. C., Neff, K. D., Kimbrel, N. A., Gulliver, S. B., & Morissette, S. B. (2015). Mindfulness, Self-Compassion, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms, and Functional Disability in U.S. Iraq and Afghanistan War Veterans. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 28(5), 460–464. https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.22045

Mindfulness, Self-Compassion, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms, and Functional Disability in U.S. Iraq and Afghanistan War Veterans

- Until recently, most trials compared MBIs to a waitlist control group, so it is not surprising it performed significantly better when it is compared to no treatment at all. In a study with a general health education control, mindfulness did not have better results, demonstrating the need to interpret studies carefully.
- There is little research on long-term effects of mindfulness, and whether the effects are only immediate or long-lasting.
- Limited research on the efficacy of internet/phone MBIs
- Methodological gaps
- Reliance on subjective, self-report measures
- Use of uncontrolled studies rather than randomized controlled trials
- Attrition
- Small sample size leading to diminished statistical power
- Participant restrictions preventing generalizability to general population.
- Little research on effectiveness on individual differences like differences in relapse in depression.

 Limitations of Current Mindfulness Intervention Research

Populations that Benefit from Mindfulness Interventions

- Mindfulness-based interventions
- Mindfulness-informed interventions

Types of Mindfulness Interventions

- Mindfulness-based stress reduction
- Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy
- Dialectical behavioral therapy
- Acceptance and commitment therapy
- Mindfulness-based relapse prevention
- Mindfulness-based relationship enhancement
- Mindful self-compassion training
- Mindfulness-based eating awareness training

Examples of Mindfulness Interventions (masterlist)

Mindfulness-based interventions have gained significant attention in clinical psychology due to their effectiveness in promoting mental well-being and reducing psychological distress.

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