Characteristics of Mindfulness-Based Interventions in Schools: a Systematic Review in School Psychology Journals.
Andrea Molina Palacios, Stacy L Bender, Danielle J Berry
Contemporary School Psychology October 17, 2022 DOI: 10.1007/s40688-022-00432-6 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Systematic review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Peer-reviewed articles published in nine school psychology journals from 2006 to 2020 |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Fidelity Intervention Schools Mindfulness measures |
| Key findings | Across nine school psychology journals from 2006 to 2020, only 23 of 4,415 articles (0.52%) focused on implementing mindfulness-based interventions in schools. These studies used nine mindfulness techniques, most often awareness, breathing, and meditation, but the review found scarce evidence of implementation fidelity and limited use of mindfulness measures. |
Abstract
Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) have been evaluated in terms of efficacy; however, little is known about implementation factors of MBIs in schools. The purpose of the current study was to systematically review MBI studies published in school psychology journals. This systematic review examined peer-reviewed MBI literature in nine school psychology journals from 2006 to 2020 to examine prevalence of MBI intervention studies, specific techniques taught in MBIs, if and how fidelity of MBI implementation was evaluated, and how mindfulness skills were measured for youth participating in MBIs. A total of 46 articles (out of 4415) were related to mindfulness and 23 articles (0.52%) focused on the implementation of MBIs in schools. Nine different mindfulness techniques were implemented as part of MBIs in studies with some of the most common including awareness, breathing, and meditation. This study also found scarce evidence of implementation fidelity, and limited use of mindfulness measures within MBI studies. Future research and limitations are also discussed.
Comparable studies
Other systematic reviews and meta-analyses on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being Diverse adult clinical populations | 2014 | Meta-analysis | n = 3,515 |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Stress Management in Healthy People: A Review and Meta-Analysis Healthy subjects | 2009 | Systematic review and meta-analysis | |
| The psychological effects of meditation: A meta-analysis. Nonclinical groups of adult meditators | 2012 | Meta-analysis | n = 163 |
| Efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in Prevention of Depressive Relapse Adults with recurrent depression in full or partial remission | 2016 | Meta-analysis of individual patient data from randomized controlled trials | n = 1,258 |
| Mindfulness‐Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness‐Based Cognitive Therapy – a systematic review of randomized controlled trials | 2011 | Systematic review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 3
- Feasibility of Implementing a Mindfulness-Based Online Program for Latina Immigrants and the Staff that Work with Them Mindfulness May 1, 2023
- The Array of Outcomes Associated with Mindfulness Interventions in Schools: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Mindfulness July 6, 2025
- Cultivating Adolescents’ Self-Compassion Through Mindfulness: The Role of Self-Regulation at Both the Individual- and Classroom-Level Contemporary School Psychology May 21, 2025
Cites 18
- Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice 2004
- Mechanisms of mindfulness Journal of Clinical Psychology December 29, 2005
- What defines mindfulness-based programs? The warp and the weft Psychological Medicine December 29, 2016
- Assessing mindfulness in children and adolescents: Development and validation of the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM). Psychological Assessment April 11, 2011
- Research Review: The effects of mindfulness‐based interventions on cognition and mental health in children and adolescents – a meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry October 22, 2018
and 13 more in the library