Effectiveness of a mindfulness Intervention program on different indicators of stress and anxiety in primary school students aged 9 to 12 years.

A mindfulness intervention for 9- to 12-year-old primary school students reduced perceived stress at school, arousal, and salivary cortisol levels. The program consisted of 14 sessions over 5 weeks. Compared with a wait-list control group, children in the intervention group showed noteworthy decreases in these stress indicators after one month. Mindfulness appears to be an appropriate tool for reducing perceived stress, particularly in the school setting.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Introduction: Late childhood or preadolescence is an important period of development in which high levels of anxiety and stress can occur due to physical and psychological changes; the efficacy of interventions such as mindfulness in reducing stress and anxiety at these ages has been under-examined. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a mindfulness intervention program on different indicators of stress and anxiety in primary school students aged 9 to 12 years belonging to a public primary school. Method: 125 children were evaluated in anxiety (STAIC), Stress (IIEC), emotional valence, arousal, perceived self-control (SAM), and salivary cortisol, before, during, and after the intervention (14 sessions in 5 weeks, three sessions a week, 40 minutes/session). Sixty-three children participated in an intervention group, and sixty-two children were enrolled in the control group (waist list). Results: After the intervention, a noteworthy decrease in the levels of perceived stress at school, arousal, and cortisol in saliva was observed. Conclusions: Mindfulness appears to be an appropriate tool for reducing perceived stress, particularly in the school setting, as it reduces perceived arousal and lowers cortisol levels after one month of intervention. Introducción: La infancia tardía o preadolescencia es un periodo importante del desarrollo de las personas en el que se pueden presentar altos niveles de ansiedad y estrés debido a los cambios físicos y psicológicos experimentados. Sin embargo, la eficacia de intervenciones como el mindfulness en la reducción el estrés y la ansiedad en estas edades ha sido poco examinado. El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar la eficacia de un programa de intervención con mindfulness sobre diferentes indicadores de estrés y ansiedad en estudiantes de primaria de 9 a 12 años, pertenecientes a una escuela de primaria pública. Método: 125 niños fueron evaluados en estrés (IIEC), arousal (calma-activación-SAM) y en cortisol en saliva cortisol, antes, durante y después de la intervención con mindfulness (14 sesiones in 5 semanas, tres sesiones por semana, 40 minutos por sesión). Sesenta y tres niños participaron en el grupo intervención y sesenta y dos niños en el grupo control (lista de espera). Resultados: Después de la intervención se observó una disminución significativa de los niveles de estrés percibido en la escuela, arousal y cortisol en saliva. Conclusiones: el mindfulness parece una herramienta adecuada para disminuir el estrés percibido, específicamente en el área escolar, ya que además de disminuir la percepción en arousal, reduce los niveles de cortisol después de un mes de la intervención.