Treating Anxiety With Mindfulness: An Open Trial of Mindfulness Training for Anxious Children
Randye J Semple, Elizabeth F. G. Reid, Lisa Miller
Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy October 1, 2005 DOI: 10.1891/jcop.2005.19.4.379 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Open clinical trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 5 |
| Population | Anxious children aged 7 to 8 years |
| Intervention | Mindfulness training program |
| Duration | 6-week trial |
| Topics | Anxiety Meditation |
| Key findings | The program was feasible and acceptable; children learned mindfulness, and results suggest anxiety symptoms may improve, possibly related to initial attention levels. |
Abstract
This study is an open clinical trial that examined the feasibility and acceptability of a mindfulness training program for anxious children. We based this pilot initiative on a cognitively oriented model, which suggests that, since impaired attention is a core symptom of anxiety, enhancing self-management of attention should effect reductions in anxiety. Mindfulness practices are essentially attention enhancing techniques that have shown promise as clinical treatments for adult anxiety and depression (Baer, 2003). However, little research explores the potential benefits of mindfulness to treat anxious children. The present study provided preliminary support for our model of treating childhood anxiety with mindfulness. A 6-week trial was conducted with five anxious children aged 7 to 8 years old. The results of this study suggest that mindfulness can be taught to children and holds promise as an intervention for anxiety symptoms. Results suggest that clinical improvements may be related to initial levels of attention.
Comparable studies
Other non-randomized and open-label trials on anxiety, most cited first.
Citations in the library
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- Assessing mindfulness in children and adolescents: Development and validation of the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM). Psychological Assessment April 11, 2011
- Mindfulness-based stress reduction for the treatment of adolescent psychiatric outpatients: A randomized clinical trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 2009
- Sitting-meditation interventions among youth: a review of treatment efficacy. Pediatrics August 24, 2009
- Contemplative Education: A Systematic, Evidence-Based Review of the effect of Meditation Interventions in Schools Educational Psychology Review March 1, 2015
- Women Benefit More Than Men in Response to College-based Meditation Training. Frontiers in Psychology 2017
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Cites 11
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- Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders American Journal of Psychiatry July 1, 1992
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- A Randomized, Wait-List Controlled Clinical Trial: The Effect of a Mindfulness Meditation-Based Stress Reduction Program on Mood and Symptoms of Stress in Cancer Outpatients Psychosomatic Medicine September 1, 2000
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