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Mindfulness Training as an Intervention for Substance User Incarcerated Adolescents: A Pilot Grounded Theory Study

Sam Himelstein, Stephen Saul, Albert Garcia‐romeu, Daniel Pinedo

Substance Use & Misuse March 11, 2014 DOI: 10.3109/10826084.2013.852580 (opens in new tab)

Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Qualitative study, grounded theory Peer reviewed
Sample size 10
Population Incarcerated adolescent substance users in an urban California detention setting
Intervention Mindfulness-based treatment
Duration 1-year period during 2011 and 2012
Topics Meditation
Keywords Grounded theory Substance use Intervention counseling Clinical psychology Psychotherapist Applied psychology Qualitative research
Citations 28
Key findings Teaching mindfulness to incarcerated adolescent substance users requires adapting instruction to their developmental stage, trauma histories, and restricted environment, with emphasis on trust, concrete language, short sessions, and movement.

Abstract

Mindfulness-based treatment for adolescents is a clinical and research field still in its infancy. Literature is needed to address specific subcultural populations to expand this growing field. Further, minimal literature addresses the process of teaching mindfulness to adolescents. The current study investigated how to effectively teach mindfulness to 10 incarcerated adolescent substance users (N = 10) in an urban California detention setting. A grounded theory approach was used to collect and analyze interview data over a 1-year period during 2011 and 2012 in order to develop an initial theory for teaching mindfulness to incarcerated adolescent substance users. Implications, limitations, and future research are discussed.

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