Codesigning a mindfulness-based intervention with community violence intervention workers and youth: The power of participatory research.
Caitlin Elsaesser, Jeffrey Proulx, Maritza Vasquez Reyes, Jolaade Kalinowski, Jacquelyn Santiago, Vivien Roman-Hampton, C L Dominique Courts, Kim M Gans
American Journal of Orthopsychiatry March 2, 2026 DOI: 10.1037/ort0000916 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative community-based participatory research study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 69 |
| Population | Adolescents affected by gun violence and community violence intervention (CVI) workers in marginalized neighborhoods |
| Intervention | Mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | The authors report that collaboratively cocreating a multigenerational, culture-centered mindfulness-based intervention with teens, CVI workers, and researchers was feasible and that addressing the stress of both youth and the workers who support them was a key finding. They argue that shared power, cultural adaptation, and community ownership can strengthen the relevance and sustainability of such interventions. |
Abstract
Youth living in marginalized neighborhoods and the adults who support them experience a burden of high stress, including exposure to firearm violence, as a result of targeted structural violence. Multigenerational interventions that foster well-being are vital given the potential for caring adults to mitigate the effects of violence on youth. Guided by a trauma-informed, community-based participatory research approach, and the "adapt and evaluate" framework, the present study details the process by which teens impacted by gun violence, community violence intervention (CVI) workers, and university researchers collaborated to cocreate a multigenerational, culture-centered mindfulness-based intervention (MBI). Researchers collaborated with youth coresearchers to conduct focus groups with adolescents (N = 26) and CVI workers (N = 15) to explore sources of stress and coping to inform the adaption of an MBI. Data were coanalyzed with youth coresearchers, revealing sources of stress for youth and CVI workers. As an outcome of this process, an MBI was created for both youth and workers. Focus groups were conducted with adolescents (N = 8) and workers (N = 20) to explore reactions to the pilot. Stemming from the strong relationships between university researchers and the community partners, a key finding was the importance of cocreating mindfulness supports not only for youth but also for CVI workers who support them. Our success underscores that when collaboratively developed with a beginner's mind, MBIs are a promising tool for fostering resilience in communities disproportionately affected by structural oppression. This study illustrates how shared power, cultural adaptation, and community ownership can strengthen both the relevance and sustainability of MBIs. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).
Comparable studies
Other qualitative studies on meditation, most cited first.