How we teach mindfulness matters: Adolescent development and the importance of informal mindfulness.
Journal of school psychology August 1, 2024 Jessica Mettler, Stephanie Zito, Laurianne Bastien et al. 16 citations
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.