Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy for Children And Adolescent: A Systematic Review
Hasan Karataş, Emine Sevinç Tok
Psikiyatride Guncel Yaklasimlar - Current Approaches in Psychiatry April 15, 2026 DOI: 10.18863/pgy.1742265 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Systematic review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 12 |
| Population | Articles on Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for children and adolescents |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy appears effective in reducing depressive and anxiety symptoms, post-traumatic stress, introversion, and attention problems in children and adolescents, with gains persisting in follow-up studies, though the authors call for more research due to small samples and other limitations. |
Abstract
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, developed to prevent depression relapse in adults diagnosed with clinical depression, has attracted the attention of researchers in the current literature, and there is a growing interest in these applications. This growing interest has led to Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy applications for children and adolescents. The current systematic review focuses on Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy applications for children and adolescents. In this context, a total of 12 articles accessed from databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Wiley, Sage, and Sciencedirect) were included in the study. According to the findings obtained from the articles, Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy has proven to be an effective intervention in reducing post-traumatic stress, introversion, and attention problems, as well as depressive and anxiety symptoms in children and adolescents. In addition, follow-up studies have indicated that the gains obtained from the application continue. These findings highlight important points regarding the use of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in children and adolescents. On the other hand, the insufficient number of participants in the studies, lack of feedback, and lack of alternative treatments indicate that further studies on this application are still needed. The current systematic review study attempts to reveal the possible effects of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy applications conducted in children and adolescents.
Comparable studies
Other systematic reviews and meta-analyses on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being Diverse adult clinical populations | 2014 | Meta-analysis | n = 3,515 |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Stress Management in Healthy People: A Review and Meta-Analysis Healthy subjects | 2009 | Systematic review and meta-analysis | |
| The psychological effects of meditation: A meta-analysis. Nonclinical groups of adult meditators | 2012 | Meta-analysis | n = 163 |
| Efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in Prevention of Depressive Relapse Adults with recurrent depression in full or partial remission | 2016 | Meta-analysis of individual patient data from randomized controlled trials | n = 1,258 |
| Mindfulness‐Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness‐Based Cognitive Therapy – a systematic review of randomized controlled trials | 2011 | Systematic review |
Citations in the library
Cites 20
- The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2003
- Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Assessment January 27, 2006
- Mindfulness‐Based Cognitive Therapy for Nonremitted Patients with Bipolar Disorder CNS Neuroscience & Therapeutics April 2, 2011
- Mindfulness-based therapy versus cognitive behavioral therapy for people with anxiety symptoms: a systematic review and meta-analysis of random controlled trials Annals of Palliative Medicine July 1, 2021
- Integrating Spirituality and Religious Beliefs in a Mindfulness Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for PTSD with Latinx Unaccompanied Immigrant Children Journal of Child & Adolescent Trauma April 21, 2023
and 15 more in the library