A School-Based Mindfulness Intervention for Adolescent Mental Health: The Moderating Effect of Personality Traits
Marianne Holopainen, Mirka Hintsanen, Jari Lahti, Tero Vahlberg, Salla-Maarit Volanen
Mindfulness 2026 DOI: 10.1007/s12671-025-02744-z (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cluster randomized controlled trial Preregistered Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 2,773 |
| Population | Finnish adolescents aged 12-15 years |
| Duration | 9-week intervention, 26-week follow-up |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Intervention counseling Mental health Personality Clinical psychology Public health Psychotherapist |
| Key findings | Personality traits did not moderate the effects of the MBI on resilience or socio-emotional functioning; only a small moderating effect on depressive symptoms was observed at 26-week follow-up, with low-extraversion adolescents in the MBI group showing the greatest improvement. |
Abstract
There is currently a lack of empirical studies investigating whether specific personality traits moderate the effects of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) on distinct adolescent mental health outcomes. This study examined how personality traits from a five-factor model (agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability, extraversion, and openness to experience) moderate the effects of an MBI in schools on adolescents’ depression, socio-emotional functioning, and resilience. A total of 2773 Finnish students aged 12–15 years participated in a cluster randomized controlled trial with three arms: a 9-week MBI (the.b program), a 9-week active control condition (a relaxation program), and an inactive control condition (the routine school curriculum). Personality traits were assessed before the MBI (T0). Mental health was evaluated before (T0) and after (T9) the intervention, as well as at a 26-week follow-up (T26), using scores for depressive symptoms, socio-emotional functioning difficulties, and resilience. When compared with both control groups, personality traits did not moderate the effects of the MBI on resilience or socio-emotional functioning. Most of the moderation analyses were also nonsignificant on depressive symptoms. Only, at the 26-week follow-up, the analyses indicated a small moderating effect on the change in depressive symptoms between the MBI and active control groups (β = 0.31, 95% CI [0.002 to 0.63], p = 0.048), with adolescents in the MBI group scoring low in extraversion showing the greatest improvement. The results did not differ by gender. These preliminary findings suggest that the moderation effects were largely nonsignificant across personality traits and mental health outcomes, with only a small, exploratory interaction for extraversion observed at the follow-up. Further research is warranted to replicate these findings and to investigate their generalizability across diverse populations. A study protocol for a cluster randomized controlled trial was preregistered in the UK’s Clinical Study Registry, ISRCTN18642659. The full trial protocol can be accessed at http://rdcu.be/t57S .
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation Healthy employees in a work environment | 2003 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 41 |
| Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2000 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 145 |
| Open hearts build lives: Positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. Working adults | 2008 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 139 |
| Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Undergraduate Chinese students | 2007 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 40 |
| Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: Replication and Exploration of Differential Relapse Prevention Effects. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2004 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 73 |
Citations in the library
Cites 23
- How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective Perspectives on Psychological Science October 14, 2011
- Women Benefit More Than Men in Response to College-based Meditation Training. Frontiers in Psychology 2017
- Meditation Experience Predicts Introspective Accuracy PLoS One September 25, 2012
- Gender differences in response to a school-based mindfulness training intervention for early adolescents. Journal of school psychology June 1, 2018
- Group, One-on-One, or Internet? Preferences for Mindfulness Meditation Delivery Format and their Predictors Open Medicine Journal November 28, 2014
and 18 more in the library