The efficacy of mindfulness-based therapy for anxiety, social skills, and aggressive behaviors in children and young people with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A systematic review
Tundi Loftus, Danielle C Mathersul, Michelle Ooi, Shu H. Yau
Frontiers in Psychiatry March 13, 2023 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1079471 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Systematic review Randomized Preregistered Qualitative Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Children and young people aged 6-25 years with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder, pervasive developmental disorder, or Asperger's syndrome |
| Intervention | Mindfulness-based interventions |
| Topics | Anxiety Meditation |
| Key findings | The authors suggest that mindfulness-based interventions show promising evidence for improving anxiety, social skills, and aggressive behaviors in children and young people with autism spectrum disorder. However, they caution that these results should be interpreted cautiously because 14 of the 23 included studies were rated weak in methodological quality, with only four strong and five adequate. |
Abstract
Introduction: The purpose of this systematic review was to examine the efficacy of mindfulness-based interventions for improving anxiety, social skills, and aggressive behaviors in children and young people (CYP) with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD); summarize the results across clinic, home, and school contexts; and evaluate the quality of these interventions for clinical practice.
Methods: A search of the PsycINFO, Medline (Ovid), Web of Science, and Scopus databases was conducted in June 2021, and no date restrictions were applied. Inclusion criteria were quantitative or qualitative research implementing a mindfulness-based intervention for CYP aged 6–25 years with a diagnosis of ASD, Pervasive Development Disorder, or Asperger’s Syndrome.
Results: We identified 23 articles for inclusion including within subject pre- and post-testing, multiple baselines, and randomized control trials, among other research designs. Of these, a quality analysis conducted using an ASD research-specific risk of bias tool found over half (14) were of weak methodological quality, whereas only four and five were found to be of strong and adequate quality, respectively.
Discussion: While the results of this systematic review suggest promising evidence for the use of mindfulness-based interventions to improve anxiety, social skills, and aggressive behaviors in CYP with ASD, results should be interpreted with caution due to the limitations resulting from the overall weak quality of the studies. The review protocol was pre-registered on PROSPERO (CRD42021259125) and can be viewed at https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=259125
Comparable studies
Other systematic reviews and meta-analyses on anxiety, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 5
- Smartphone Mindfulness Intervention Reduces Anxiety Symptoms and Perceived Stress in Autistic Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial Mindfulness April 8, 2025
- The Mindful Way From Information to Knowledge, to Wisdom, and to Life: Perspectives on Mindfulness (-Based Cognitive Therapy) for Higher Education. Mindfulness 2025
- Co-designed yoga nidra targeting anxiety in autistic children: A mixed methods feasibility study. Research in Developmental Disabilities September 2026
- The effectiveness of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy on metacognition, depression, and self-concept of children with anxiety disorders Quarterly Journal of Child Mental Health July 1, 2025
- Examining the effectiveness of mindfulness interventions for anxiety in young adults: a narrative synthesis
Cites 8
- Mindfulness-Based Program for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Their Parents: Direct and Long-Term Improvements Mindfulness October 5, 2017
- Effects of Meditation on the Soles of the Feet on the Aggressive and Destructive Behaviors of Chinese Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders Mindfulness November 9, 2019
- Review: Yoga and mindfulness for youth with autism spectrum disorder: review of the current evidence. Child and Adolescent Mental Health February 2019
- Effects of a brief mindfulness-based intervention on emotional regulation and levels of mindfulness in senior students. Psicologia, reflexao e critica : revista semestral do Departamento de Psicologia da UFRGS August 2, 2018
- The effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction on Intolerance of Uncertainty and Anxiety Sensitivity among Individuals with Generalized Anxiety Disorder Asian Social Science March 19, 2016
and 3 more in the library