We’re Missing the Social Dimension in Adolescent Mindfulness Programs: A Student-Driven Perspective and Call to Action
Blake A Colaianne, Raymond S. Falcone
Mindfulness October 1, 2025 DOI: 10.1007/s12671-025-02657-x (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | US high school students (in conversations informing the authors' considerations) |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key points | Argues that adolescent school-based mindfulness programs largely overlook the developmental need for relatedness and social connection, and proposes shifting the curriculum toward a relational focus guided by three considerations: pressures to conform to US "hustle culture," socialized gender norms affecting engagement in contemplative practice, and the potential for mindfulness and compassion to support psychosocial identity development. |
Abstract
Abstract School-based mindfulness programs (SBMPs) are widely used to support student well-being, yet questions remain about their impact and developmental relevance for adolescents. Most critiques of adolescent SBMPs have focused on implementation challenges. Here, we expand the discussion to include a critique of the curriculum itself, arguing that adolescent SBMPs largely overlook the developmental need for relatedness and social connection. We begin by tracing the individualistic roots of SBMPs and then call for a shift in the curriculum toward a more relational focus. Drawing on conversations with US high school students, we identify three considerations for guiding this approach: (1) the need to acknowledge the pressures to conform to US “hustle culture,” (2) the influence of socialized gender norms on adolescent engagement in contemplative practice, and (3) the potential for mindfulness and compassion to support psychosocial identity development. We conclude by offering specific recommendations for practitioners and researchers on how to enact a developmental-relational view within adolescent SBMPs.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. | 2004 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mechanisms of mindfulness | 2005 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective | 2011 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression | 2006 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-transcendence (S-ART): a framework for understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of mindfulness | 2012 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cites 7
- Beyond All Splits: Envisioning the Next Generation of Science on Mindfulness and Compassion in Schools for Students. Mindfulness November 11, 2022
- Adolescents do not benefit from universal school-based mindfulness interventions: a reanalysis of Dunning et al. (2022). Frontiers in Psychology 2024
- You Can Lead an Adolescent to Mindfulness, but You Can’t Make Them Mindful Mindfulness July 1, 2024
- Do Not Keep Calm and Carry on: School-Based Mindfulness Programmes Should Test Making Mindfulness Practice Available in the School Day Mindfulness December 1, 2023
- Do Adolescents Like School-Based Mindfulness Training? Predictors of Mindfulness Practice and Responsiveness in the MYRIAD Trial Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry May 1, 2023
and 2 more in the library