School-Based Relaxation Interventions and Cognitive Emotion Regulation: A Comparative Study on Mindfulness, Music, and Plant-Based Sound Stimulation
Domenico Cafaro
preprint DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8729974/v1 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Pragmatic cluster trial |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 137 |
| Population | Lower secondary school students in Southern Italy (nine classes; 146 enrolled, 137 analyzed) |
| Interventions | autogenic training progressive muscle relaxation |
| Duration | 12 sessions of 15 minutes each; outcomes assessed at baseline (T0) and post-intervention (T1) |
| Measures | I-CAMM, CERQ |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Brief school-based relaxation protocols appear to act mainly on emotion regulation rather than producing uniform gains in dispositional mindfulness. Reductions in maladaptive emotion regulation strategies were concentrated among students with high baseline maladaptive scores, particularly in the prerecorded music and voice-only conditions, while the control group showed relative worsening. The authors suggest moderator-informed interpretation and further study of the plant-generated acoustic context. |
Abstract
Abstract This pragmatic cluster trial examined whether a brief, curriculum-integrated relaxation protocol delivered under different auditory contexts influences dispositional mindfulness and cognitive emotion regulation in a real classroom setting. Nine lower secondary school classes in Southern Italy (enrolled N = 146; analytic N = 137 students) were allocated at the class level to four parallel arms: relaxation accompanied by plant-generated music (B1), relaxation with prerecorded music (B2), relaxation with voice only (B3), and teaching-as-usual control (B4). Experimental classes completed 12 sessions (15 minutes each) based on a standardized multicomponent sequence (basic mindfulness, autogenic training, progressive muscle relaxation, and guided imagery), delivered during curricular hours using simple, non-clinically suggestive language and identical timing across conditions. Outcomes were assessed at baseline (T0) and post-intervention (T1) using the I-CAMM for dispositional mindfulness and the CERQ (adaptive and maladaptive strategies) for cognitive emotion regulation; acceptability was also collected at T1. Across the full sample, dispositional mindfulness showed a significant change over time, while group × time effects were not consistent. Baseline-level stratification highlighted heterogeneous trajectories, with improvements more evident among students starting from low baseline mindfulness and relative reductions among those with initially high scores, suggesting regression-to-the-mean and/or ceiling-related dynamics. For emotion regulation, changes were strongly moderated by baseline profiles: reductions in maladaptive strategies were mainly observed among students with high initial maladaptive scores, particularly in the prerecorded Music (B2) and Voice-only Relaxation (B3) conditions, whereas the control group showed a relative worsening over time. Overall program acceptability was medium–high (M = 3.46/5), supporting feasibility and transferability in school routines. These findings indicate that brief school-based relaxation protocols may primarily act on emotion regulation processes rather than producing uniform gains in dispositional mindfulness, and they underscore the value of moderator-informed interpretation. The novel plant-generated acoustic context warrants further investigation with longer exposure and targeted adaptation.
Comparable studies
Other non-randomized and open-label trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in Relation to Quality of Life, Mood, Symptoms of Stress, and Immune Parameters in Breast and Prostate Cancer Outpatients Early-stage breast and prostate cancer patients | 2003 | Pre-post intervention study | n = 59 |
| Exploring self‐compassion and empathy in the context of mindfulness‐based stress reduction (MBSR) Community sample | 2010 | Pre-post intervention study | |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Lowers Psychological Distress In Medical Students Second-year medical students | 2003 | Prospective nonrandomized cohort-controlled study | n = 302 |
| Intensive meditation training, immune cell telomerase activity, and psychological mediators. Retreat participants and matched controls | 2011 | Controlled trial with wait-list control group | n = 60 |
| The Effectiveness of Mindfulness Training for Children with ADHD and Mindful Parenting for their Parents Children aged 8-12 with ADHD and their parents | 2011 | Within-group waitlist controlled trial | n = 22 |