A Pilot Study of a Meditation and Mindfulness Program with Detained Juveniles: An Adaptation of Inner Resources for Teens (IRT)
Stephanie N. Williams, Monica M. Parkins, Breanne Benedict, L. Waelde
Journal of Forensic Psychology Research and Practice 2020 DOI: 10.1080/24732850.2020.1677108 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Pre-post intervention study Pilot study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 17 |
| Population | Adolescent males aged 16 to 18 incarcerated in two units of a county detention center in the San Francisco Bay Area; 11 (64.7%) Latino-American, 3 (17.6%) Caucasian-American, 1 (5.9%) Black/African American, 1 (5.9%) Asian-American, 1 (5.9%) self-identified as other/mixed race |
| Interventions | mindfulness and mantra intervention |
| Duration | Four-week intervention with one-hour weekly sessions; participants asked to practice ten minutes daily |
| Measures | Child Acceptance and Mindfulness Measure (CAMM), Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key points | Intent-to-treat analyses found statistically significant reductions from pre- to post-treatment in global severity (d = -0.44), positive symptoms distress (d = -0.54), obsessive compulsive symptoms (d = -0.65), paranoid ideation (d = -0.49), and psychoticism (d = -0.71). Positive symptoms, somatization, depression, hostility, and mindfulness non-significantly improved with small effect sizes. The authors suggest that the Inner Resources for Teens intervention may improve symptoms of mental illness among youth in detention facilities. |
Abstract
ABSTRACT This study examined the clinical utility of a meditation, mindfulness, and mantra intervention for youth experiencing serious mental illness while incarcerated. Participants were 17 adolescent males, aged 16 to 18, from two units of a county detention center in the San Francisco Bay Area. Eleven (64.7%) participants were Latino-American, one (5.9 %) was Black/African American, three (17.6 %) were Caucasian-American, one (5.9%) was Asian-American and one (5.9%) self-identified as “other/mixed race.” The intervention consisted of a four-session adaptation of the Inner Resources for Teens (IRT) manualized intervention, designed to teach and practice skills for developing sustained mindfulness. Participants completed the intervention over a four-week period, attending one hour per week. They were asked to practice the techniques for ten minutes a day. Participants were assessed using the Child Acceptance and Mindfulness Measure (CAMM) and the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) at pre-treatment, mid-treatment, and immediate post-treatment. Intent-to-treat analyzes found statistically significant reductions in global severity (d = − 0.44), positive symptoms distress (d = − 0.54), obsessive compulsive symptoms (d = − 0.65), paranoid ideation (d = − 0.49), and psychoticism (d = − 0.71). Positive symptoms, somatization, depression, hostility, and mindfulness non-significantly improved with small effect sizes. These findings suggest that IRT may improve symptoms of mental illness among youth in detention facilities.
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 |
Citations in the library
Cites 19
- Assessing mindfulness in children and adolescents: Development and validation of the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM). Psychological Assessment April 11, 2011
- Mindfulness meditation and substance use in an incarcerated population. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors August 28, 2006
- Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in Massachusetts Correctional Facilities The Prison Journal June 1, 2007
- A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Yoga and Mindfulness Meditation in Prison International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology August 28, 2015
- The Role of Mindfulness in Reducing the Adverse Effects of Childhood Stress and Trauma Children February 28, 2017
and 14 more in the library