Mindfulness-Based Attention Training: Feasibility and Preliminary Outcomes of a Digital Course for High School Students
Alissa J. Mrazek, Michael D. Mrazek, Jordan V. Reese, Arianna C. Kirk, Lefeba J. Gougis, Alex M. Delegard, David J. Cynman, Casey M. Cherolini, Peter C. Carr, Jonathan W. Schooler
Education Sciences August 31, 2019 DOI: 10.3390/educsci9030230 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | One-group pre-post feasibility study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 190 |
| Population | 9th–12th grade students in a public high school |
| Intervention | Digital mindfulness course |
| Duration | 22-day course |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Mindset Psychological intervention Fidelity Intervention counseling Curriculum Focus group Medical education Class philosophy Applied psychology Clinical psychology Pedagogy |
| Citations | 17 |
| Key points | Digital mindfulness training in high schools is feasible, with improved emotional regulation and stress management, and increased growth mindset about focus. |
Abstract
Digital mindfulness-based interventions (d-MBIs) present an unprecedented opportunity to share mindfulness training at scale. However, the feasibility of digital mindfulness training for high schools remains unknown. Using a one-group pre–post design, this feasibility study evaluated the adoption of a digital mindfulness course in a public high school. The 22-day course was delivered on laptops, tablets, or phones via a custom digital learning platform. The course included a total of 2.25 h of instruction designed to improve focus, stress management, and emotion regulation. The intervention was implemented across 11 classrooms with 9th–12th grade students. On average across all classes, students completed 80% of lessons and 77% of daily exercises. Although the one-group design precludes definitive conclusions about the intervention’s effects, paired t-tests from pretest to post-test (N = 190) revealed improved emotional regulation and stress management despite students experiencing significantly increased life demands toward the end of the academic term. Results suggest that students also adopted a stronger growth mindset about their ability to focus, and they felt more motivated and confident to train this ability. A total of 64% of students indicated that the course improved their focus. Among the 81.6% of students who reported at baseline that they paid attention in class less than they should, focus during class increased significantly. This investigation supports the feasibility of digital mindfulness training for high schools and highlights strategies for increasing fidelity of implementation of digital interventions in school settings.
Comparable studies
Other non-randomized and open-label trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in Relation to Quality of Life, Mood, Symptoms of Stress, and Immune Parameters in Breast and Prostate Cancer Outpatients Early-stage breast and prostate cancer patients | 2003 | Pre-post intervention study | n = 59 |
| Exploring self‐compassion and empathy in the context of mindfulness‐based stress reduction (MBSR) Community sample | 2010 | Pre-post intervention study | |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Lowers Psychological Distress In Medical Students Second-year medical students | 2003 | Prospective nonrandomized cohort-controlled study | n = 302 |
| Intensive meditation training, immune cell telomerase activity, and psychological mediators. Retreat participants and matched controls | 2011 | Controlled trial with wait-list control group | n = 60 |
| The Effectiveness of Mindfulness Training for Children with ADHD and Mindful Parenting for their Parents Children aged 8-12 with ADHD and their parents | 2011 | Within-group waitlist controlled trial | n = 22 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 3
- The effect of brief digital mindfulness-based interventions on increasing online charitable behavior in Chinese adolescents. Frontiers in Psychology August 2, 2023
- Mindfulness Training Improves Attention: Evidence from Behavioral and Event-related Potential Analyses. Brain Topography March 2023
- Universal Mindfulness Training in Schools for Adolescents: a Scoping Review and Conceptual Model of Moderators, Mediators, and Implementation Factors Prevention Science August 1, 2022
Cites 10
- Mindfulness Interventions Annual Review of Psychology September 30, 2016
- Investigating the phenomenological matrix of mindfulness-related practices from a neurocognitive perspective. American Psychologist October 1, 2015
- Mindfulness and mind-wandering: Finding convergence through opposing constructs. Emotion February 6, 2012
- Upper secondary school students’ compliance with two Internet-based self-help programmes: a randomised controlled trial European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry August 3, 2017
- MINDFULNESS GOES TO SCHOOL: THINGS LEARNED (SO FAR) FROM RESEARCH AND REAL-WORLD EXPERIENCES. Psychology in the Schools November 30, 2016
and 5 more in the library