Peer with intellectual disabilities as a mindfulness-based anger and aggression management therapist.
Nirbhay N. Singh, Giulio E. Lancioni, Alan S W Winton, Judy Singh, Ashvind N A Singh, Angela D A Singh
Research in Developmental Disabilities 2011 DOI: 10.1016/j.ridd.2011.06.003 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case study Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 4 |
| Population | Young man with intellectual disabilities and mental illness and three peers with intellectual disabilities |
| Intervention | Meditation on the Soles of the Feet |
| Duration | 5 months to reach low levels, 2 years of follow-up |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Anger and aggressive behavior of the three individuals taught by a peer with intellectual disabilities decreased to very low levels within five months and remained low for two years, with high teaching fidelity. |
Abstract
A young man with intellectual disabilities (ID) and mental illness, who had previously been taught to successfully manage his aggressive behavior by using Meditation on the Soles of the Feet, reported that he shared his mindfulness practice with his peers with ID. When requested by his peers, and without any training as a therapist, he began to teach this procedure to his peers for controlling their anger and aggressive behavior. We tracked the anger and aggressive behavior of three of the individuals he taught and the fidelity of his teaching of the procedure. According to self and staff reports, anger and aggressive behavior of the three individuals decreased to very low levels within five months of initiating training and remained at very low levels for the two years during which informal data were collected. The fidelity of his teaching the procedure was high, if one allows for his idiosyncratic teaching methods. These findings suggest that individuals with mild ID, who have mastered an effective mindfulness-based strategy to control their aggressive behavior, may be able to teach their peers the same strategy to successfully control their anger and aggressive behavior to a level that is acceptable for community living.
Comparable studies
Other case reports and case series on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brain sources of EEG gamma frequency during volitionally meditation-induced, altered states of consciousness, and experience of the self Advanced meditator | 2001 | Case study | n = 1 |
| Mindfulness Meditation for Alcohol Relapse Prevention: A Feasibility Pilot Study Adult alcohol-dependent graduates of an intensive outpatient program | 2008 | Prospective case series | n = 19 |
| How does it feel to lack a sense of boundaries? A case study of a long-term mindfulness meditator. A single long-term mindfulness practitioner (S) with 40 years of practice in... | 2015 | Qualitative case study | n = 1 |
| Loving‐kindness meditation to enhance recovery from negative symptoms of schizophrenia Individuals suffering from schizophrenia-spectrum disorders with persistent negative... | 2009 | Case study | |
| Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Problem Gambling A female problem gambler | 2011 | Case study | n = 1 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 3
- Revisión sistemática sobre la aplicación y efectividad de tratamientos basados en mindfulness en personas con discapacidad intelectual Revista Española de Discapacidad June 1, 2018
- Relationship of mindful awareness to neural processing of angry faces and impact of mindfulness training: A pilot investigation. Psychiatry Research Neuroimaging June 30, 2017
- Can a mindfulness-informed intervention reduce aggressive behaviour in people with intellectual disabilities? Protocol for a feasibility study. Pilot and Feasibility Studies September 20, 2016