The Role of Executive Function in Children’s Mindfulness Experience

Abstract:

Objectives: The effects of a 6-week mindfulness program were examined to assess how executive function level played a role in students’ mindful experience. The effects of the mindfulness program were evaluated according to prospective outcomes across students’ level of executive function, in comparison to an active control group.

Methods: Classrooms were randomly assigned to a mindfulness-based program or a health-based active control group. Pre- and early adolescent students in the 5th to 8th grade ( N = 52) from two MindfulMe! program classrooms and two HealthyMe! program classrooms (active control group) completed self-reported pre-test and post-test measures to assess mindful attention awareness, strengths and difficulties, anxious arousal, rumination, and optimism. A composite score was created from student-, teacher-, and parent-reported BRIEF2 screening forms to determine students’ approximate level of executive function prior to the beginning of the program.

Results: There was a significant decrease in rumination for students in the mindfulness-based intervention when compared to the active controls. Findings suggest executive function predicted an individual’s change score in total difficulties, mindful attention awareness, optimism, and anxious arousal, after participating in a mindfulness-based intervention.

Conclusions: Mindfulness-based interventions appear to particularly benefit those with higher levels of executive function; however, an active control did not variably impact students according to their level of executive function.