Browsing by Author "Holopainen, Marianne"

Objective: Mindfulness-based programs are increasingly used with adolescents in school environment. Many preliminary studies have shown that training mindfulness can be helpful for enhancing students’ mental health and psychological well-being. The current evidence base on the effectiveness, however, is still quite narrow and most studies have been limited due to methodological weaknesses. The aim of this study was to investigate how mindfulness training impacts on adolescents’ psychological well-being in secondary school. Methods: The study is a cluster randomized controlled trial, and a part of the Finnish school-based mindfulness research project Healthy Learning Mind (N=3519). Adolescents (age: 12-15 years) either participated in a 9-week mindfulness program, a standardized relaxation program, or followed usual school curriculum. Students’ emotional and behavioural problems, and prosocial behaviour were measured at baseline, post-intervention, and after six-month follow-up, using self- and parent-rated Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Linear mixed effects modelling (LMM) was used to compare differences between groups in the change from baseline to post-intervention and follow-up in the SDQ-scales. Results: There weren’t any statistically significant differences in change in any SDQ -outcome variables between the three groups at post-intervention or follow-up. However, during mindfulness program, students’ self-rated emotional symptoms and hyperactivity problems decreased and prosocial behaviour increased. Findings in the parent-rated results paralleled these results, and students’ conduct and emotional problems and hyperactivity were significantly decreased. Conclusions: Despite positive changes in the psychological well-being of the adolescents in the mindfulness group, no differences between the groups were found. Further research is still required to identify psychological well-being benefits of mindfulness training in school environment, using multiple measurement methods and longitudinal designs.