An 8-week internet-based mindfulness training improved Italian school teachers' anxiety, interoceptive awareness, and professional efficacy compared to a control group. Anxiety reduction was medium-sized, interoceptive awareness improvements were medium-to-large, and professional efficacy gains were small-to-medium. The effects depended on teachers' baseline temperament and character: reduced anxiety occurred only for those with higher reward dependence or lower-to-middle self-directedness; improved interoceptive attention regulation occurred for those with middle-to-higher persistence; and improved efficacy for student engagement occurred only for those with lower self-transcendence. The study highlights the need to consider personality dimensions when designing mindfulness interventions for teachers.
Healthy Italian adolescents who completed eight weeks of either mindfulness-oriented meditation or autogenic training showed increased cooperativeness and reduced emotional symptoms. The more participants' cooperativeness rose, the more their emotional symptoms fell. Both mind-body interventions fostered a cooperative attitude and helped regulate emotions, suggesting they may protect youth well-being and psychosocial adjustment in school settings.
Different mindfulness techniques produce distinct effects on mental rumination and time perspective. In an 8-week study, 75 healthy young adults were assigned to mindful breathing, body scan, observing-thoughts meditation, or an active control group. All meditation groups improved mindfulness skills more than the control group. Mindful breathing specifically reduced brooding and increased a positive view of the future compared to the other techniques. These differential effects suggest that tailoring meditation practices could enhance interventions aimed at reducing maladaptive thinking and fostering optimism.