Effects of school-based mindfulness training on emotion processing and well-being in adolescents: evidence from event-related potentials.
Kevanne Louise Sanger, Guillaume Thierry, Dusana Dorjee
Developmental science January 22, 2018 DOI: 10.1111/desc.12646 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Non-randomized controlled study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Older secondary school students aged 16-18 |
| Intervention | School-based mindfulness curriculum delivered by schoolteachers |
| Duration | 8 weeks of mindfulness training |
| Measures | P3b event-related potential (ERP) in an affective oddball task, self-reported well-being, doctor visits for mental health support |
| Topics | Depression Meditation |
| Keywords | Humans Electroencephalography Facial expression Emotions Happiness Event-related potentials, p300 Quality of life Adolescent Female |
| Key points | The P3b response to happy and sad face oddballs decreased between testing sessions in controls but remained unchanged in mindfulness-trained students, alongside increases in self-reported well-being and fewer doctor visits for mental health support in the training group. The authors suggest school-based mindfulness training may increase awareness of socially relevant emotional stimuli regardless of valence and may reduce vulnerability to depression. |
Abstract
In a non-randomized controlled study, we investigated the efficacy of a school-based mindfulness curriculum delivered by schoolteachers to older secondary school students (16-18 years). We measured changes in emotion processing indexed by P3b event-related potential (ERP) modulations in an affective oddball task using static human faces. ERPs were recorded to happy and sad face oddballs presented in a stimulus stream of frequent faces with neutral expression, before and after 8 weeks of mindfulness training. Whilst the mean amplitude of the P3b, an ERP component typically elicited by infrequent oddballs, decreased between testing sessions in the control group, it remained unchanged in the training group. Significant increases in self-reported well-being and fewer doctor visits for mental health support were also reported in the training group as compared to controls. The observed habituation to emotional stimuli in controls thus contrasted with maintained sensitivity in mindfulness-trained students. These results suggest that in-school mindfulness training for adolescents has scope for increasing awareness of socially relevant emotional stimuli, irrespective of valence, and thus may decrease vulnerability to depression.
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 7
- Creating mindful heroes: a case study with ninth grade students Frontiers in Psychology May 9, 2023
- Changes in Mental Health and EEG Biomarkers of Undergraduates Under Different Patterns of Mindfulness. Brain Topography December 25, 2023
- Mindfulness-based programs and school adjustment: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of school psychology April 1, 2023
- The effects of short interventions of focused-attention vs. self-compassion mindfulness meditation on undergraduate students: Evidence from self-report, classroom performance, and ERPs. PLoS One January 20, 2023
- A preliminary neuroimaging investigation of the effects of mindfulness training on attention reorienting and amygdala reactivity to emotional faces in adolescent and adult females. Journal of adolescence 2023
and 2 more in the library
Cites 17
- Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Assessment January 27, 2006
- Teaching self-care to caregivers: Effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction on the mental health of therapists in training. Training and Education in Professional Psychology May 1, 2007
- Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in Relation to Quality of Life, Mood, Symptoms of Stress, and Immune Parameters in Breast and Prostate Cancer Outpatients Psychosomatic Medicine July 1, 2003
- Mindfulness-based stress reduction for the treatment of adolescent psychiatric outpatients: A randomized clinical trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 2009
- Exploring self‐compassion and empathy in the context of mindfulness‐based stress reduction (MBSR) Stress and Health March 15, 2010
and 12 more in the library