Adolescents with Internet addiction often experience anxiety and depression that can reinforce their addictive behaviors. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for children (MBCT-C) is an adaptation of traditional MBCT designed for emotional problems in youth. This protocol describes a planned randomized controlled trial with 80 Iranian adolescents aged 12 to 15 diagnosed with Internet addiction. Participants will be randomly assigned to either 12 sessions of MBCT-C group therapy or 12 sessions of life skills training. Assessments will occur before, after, and three months following the intervention, measuring mindfulness, satisfaction, depression, anxiety, adherence, and Internet addiction. The study aims to evaluate whether MBCT-C reduces Internet addiction, anxiety, and depression in this population.
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Children (MBCT-C) is a 12-week program designed for school-based mental health providers to treat students with anxiety and other emotional or behavioral difficulties. The chapter reviews research supporting its effectiveness, describes its implementation in schools, and illustrates a full session with a clinical vignette of a single anxious student. It also introduces the Mindfulness Matters Program, a variation for K–12 classrooms, and discusses ways to extend mindfulness practices to parents, teachers, and the broader school culture.
A future clinical trial will test whether a 12-session mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for children (MBCT-C) program improves anxiety, attentional control, and emotional regulation compared to a 12-session life skills training program. Eighty children aged 8 to 12 years will be randomly assigned to either the MBCT-C or the active control group. Outcomes will be measured at baseline, post-intervention, and six months after the intervention using standardized questionnaires. Participant satisfaction will also be assessed. The study design is a quasi-experimental protocol intended to evaluate the efficacy and satisfaction of MBCT-C before the intervention phase begins.
Seven self-report measures exist for assessing trait mindfulness in youth: the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM), Mindful Attention Awareness Scale for Adolescents (MAAS-A), Mindful Attention Awareness Scale for Children (MAAS-C), Comprehensive Inventory of Mindfulness Experiences-Adolescents (CHIME-A), Mindful Thinking and Action Scale for Adolescents (MTASA), Mindfulness Scale for Pre-Teens, Teens, and Adults (MSPTA), and Mindfulness Inventory for Children and Adolescents (MICA). The review identifies methodological concerns with the near-exclusive reliance on self-report measures and offers suggestions for validating new measures and improving assessment research.