Adolescents often find formal mindfulness practices like meditation difficult to maintain, leading to low engagement in school-based programs. In a randomized experiment with 142 adolescents, those taught informal mindfulness—brief, unstructured moments integrated into daily routines—were more likely to intend to use the strategies regularly and showed increased dispositional mindfulness from baseline to follow-up. This rise in mindfulness indirectly reduced depression, anxiety, general stress, school-related stress, and negative affect, while improving attentional control. The findings suggest that informal mindfulness may be a more accessible and effective approach for schools than formal practices, supporting a move away from one-size-fits-all instruction.
Young adults with a recent history of nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) report distinct challenges and preferences for different formal mindfulness practices. The body scan and sitting meditation, commonly used in therapy, can be difficult for those with NSSI, particularly due to aversive body awareness. In contrast, thought meditation was well-received by all participants, and loving-kindness meditation was especially positive for those with past-year NSSI. The findings highlight the need to tailor mindfulness practices to individuals' experiences with self-injury.
An embodied and embedded mindfulness and compassion treatment (EEMCT) for people who engage in non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) was tested for feasibility and acceptability in six participants attending eight weekly two-hour group sessions. Quantitative results supported acceptability, but mixed results were found for feasibility. Participants reported benefits such as learning self-kindness and awareness of thoughts and feelings, and suggested improvements like more take-home practice material and shorter meditations. Clinically meaningful reductions in anxiety occurred from pre-intervention to post-intervention and to six-month follow-up; some participants also showed meaningful decreases in depressive symptoms and emotion regulation difficulties from pre-intervention to follow-up. The results suggest EEMCT may be helpful and acceptable, but more research is needed.