Mindfulness Boosts Specific Cognition via Self‐Control and Cognitive Emotion Regulation in Chinese Left‐Behind Children

ABSTRACT Background Long‐term parental migration adversely affects cognitive development among left‐behind children (LBC) in China, yet this issue has not received adequate attention and effective interventions are lacking.

Objective: This study examined the efficacy of a mindfulness‐based intervention (MBI) on specific cognitive functions in LBC, with self‐control (SC) mediating the trait mindfulness (TM)‐learning attentional stability (LAS) relationship and cognitive emotion regulation (CER) mediating the TM‐overgeneral autobiographical memory (OGAM) relationship.

Method: Two complementary sub‐studies were conducted with LBC. In Sub‐study 1, 92 participants (age 15.83 ± 0.42) completed a survey, and 63 were randomized to a 10‐week .b mindfulness program or control. In Sub‐study 2, 96 participants (age 12.76 ± 0.54) were surveyed, with 52 randomized to the same program. TM, SC, CER, LAS, and OGAM were measured.

Results: In Sub‐study 1, SC partially mediated the TM–LAS relationship (indirect effect = 0.26), and in Sub‐study 2, CER partially mediated the TM–OGAM relationship (indirect effect = −0.20). After intervention, experimental groups showed greater improvements in TM, LAS, SC, positive CER, and greater reductions in negative CER and OGAM than controls (Cohen's d = 0.95–1.55).

Implications: School‐based mindfulness training may benefit cognitive functions in Chinese LBC, but larger, preregistered trials are needed due to small samples and lack of active control.

Conclusion: This preliminary evidence suggests that a standardized MBI improves LAS and reduces OGAM in Chinese LBC, consistent with mediation through TM and self‐regulation. Mindfulness training is a feasible school‐based strategy for cognitive development, though causal conclusions require stronger designs.