A Mindfulness-Based Intervention Pilot Feasibility Study for Elementary School Students With Severe Learning Difficulties: Effects on Internalized and Externalized Symptoms From an Emotional Regulation Perspective.
Catherine Malboeuf-Hurtubise, Éric Lacourse, Geneviève Taylor, Mireille Joussemet, Leila Ben Amor
Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary & Alternative Medicine December 30, 2016 DOI: 10.1177/2156587216683886 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Pilot study, one-group pretest-posttest design Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 14 |
| Population | Elementary school students aged 9 to 12 years with severe learning disabilities and special education needs |
| Measures | Behavior Assessment System for Children, Second Edition (student-report and teacher-report) |
| Topics | Anxiety Depression Meditation |
| Keywords | Humans Feasibility studies Pilot projects Aggression Child Learning disabilities Hyperactivity School psychology Inattention Mindfulness-based meditation |
| Key points | The mindfulness-based intervention was associated with significant reductions in anxiety, depression, inattention, aggression, and conduct problems, with large effect sizes (partial eta-squared = .31 to .61). The authors indicate these preliminary results suggest mindfulness-based interventions can reduce symptoms and problem behaviors in children with learning disabilities, but call for further experimental trials with long-term follow-up. |
Abstract
Objective: Students with severe learning disabilities often show signs of anxiety, depression, and problem behaviors such as inattention and conduct problems. Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) in school settings constitute a promising option to alleviate these co-occurring symptoms. This pilot study aimed to evaluate the impact of an MBI on symptoms and behaviors of elementary school students with severe learning disabilities.
Method: A one-group pretest-posttest design was used. The sample comprised 14 students aged 9 to 12 years with special education needs. Both student-report and teacher-report of the Behavior Assessment System for Children, Second Edition were used.
Results: Repeated-measures analyses of variance revealed a significant impact of the MBI on symptoms and behaviors such as anxiety, depression, inattention, aggression, and conduct problems. Effect sizes for all variables were considered large (partial η2 = .31-.61).
Conclusion: These preliminary results indicate that MBIs can reduce the frequency of symptoms and problem behaviors often found in children with learning disabilities in elementary schools. Further multiple baseline experimental trials with a long-term follow-up are warranted to establish more robustly the effect of MBIs for children with learning disabilities.
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
Cited by 10
- Effects of a Mindfulness-Based Intervention on the Perception of Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction among Special Education Students International Journal of Disability, Development and Education July 13, 2017
- Effects of mindfulness on depression in college students: mediating role of psychological resilience and moderating role of gender. BMC Psychology January 16, 2024
- In-Person Versus eHealth Mindfulness-Based Intervention for Adolescents With Chronic Illness: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial JMIR Research Protocols November 27, 2017
- A Mindfulness-Based Intervention for Students With Psychiatric Disorders in a Special Education Curriculum: A Series of n-of-1 Trials on Internalized and Externalized Symptoms Frontiers in Education September 3, 2018
- Transforming education: A review of the benefits of integrating mindfulness and meditation techniques in schools English Education Journal June 14, 2023
and 5 more in the library
Cites 7
- Assessing mindfulness in children and adolescents: Development and validation of the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM). Psychological Assessment April 11, 2011
- Promoting prosocial behavior and self-regulatory skills in preschool children through a mindfulness-based kindness curriculum. Developmental Psychology November 10, 2014
- Sitting-meditation interventions among youth: a review of treatment efficacy. Pediatrics August 24, 2009
- Enhancing Cognitive and Social–Emotional Development Through a Simple-to-Administer Mindfulness-Based School Program for Elementary School Children: A Randomized Controlled Trial Developmental Psychology 2015
- Mindfulness-based interventions in schools—a systematic review and meta-analysis Frontiers in Psychology June 30, 2014
and 2 more in the library