Effectiveness of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for child on bullying behaviors among children
Marjan Faraji, Siavash Talepasand, Isaac Rahimian Boogar
International Archives of Health Sciences April 1, 2019 DOI: 10.4103/iahs.iahs_54_18 (opens in new tab) via DOAJ
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractA quasi-experimental study tested whether mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for children (MBCT-C) reduces bullying behavior among grade 3–5 students in Kashan, Iran, during the 2017–2018 school year. Twenty students selected by inclusion and exclusion criteria completed the Illinois Bullying Scale before and after the intervention, with experimental and control groups. Analysis of covariance showed MBCT-C significantly reduced bullying behavior, with an effect size of 0.89. In pretest, both groups most frequently reported excluding others from a group of friends, and mindfulness training had the strongest effect on decreasing this behavior. The authors suggest interventions to reduce bullying may begin with mindfulness training.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Quasi-experimental design Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 20 |
| Population | Grade 3 through 5 students in Kashan town, 2017–2018 school years |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Bullying Child Schools |
| Key finding | MBCT-C significantly reduced bullying behavior among children, with an effect size of 0.89. |
Abstract
Aims: Bullying is an ever-increasing phenomenon in schools and it has far-reaching consequences on children and adolescents, for which necessary measures must be taken to prevent and reduce it. This study was aimed to investigate the effectiveness of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for child (MBCT-C) on bullying behavior among children. Materials and Methods: the population of this study consisted of Grade 3 through 5 students in Kashan town in 2017–2018 school years. The sample consisted of 20 students who had been selected by inclusion and exclusion criteria. The conventional sampling method was used. A quasi-experimental design was used in this study. Participants completed the Illinois Bullying Scale before and after the intervention of experimental and control groups. Data were analyzed using analysis of covariance. Results: The findings showed that MBCT-C had a significant effect on bullying behavior reduction and the effect size in this intervention was 0.89. Furthermore, results from individual mean scores in bullying scale questions indicated that in pretest both experimental and control groups, “excluding others from in a group of friends” was the most frequent behavior and mindfulness training had effectively the highest effect on decreasing this character. Conclusion: It suggests that intervention concerning diminishing bullying behaviors may start with mindfulness training.