Abstract
Studies investigating the feasibility and impact of mindfulness programs on emotional well-being when delivered by school teachers in pre-adolescence are scarce. This study reports the findings of a controlled feasibility pilot which assessed acceptability and emotional well-being outcomes of an 8-week mindfulness program (Paws b) for children aged 7–9 years. The program was delivered by school teachers within a regular school curriculum. Emotional well-being was measured using self-report questionnaires at baseline, post-training and 3 months follow-up, and informant reports were collected at baseline and follow-up. Seventy one participants aged 7–9 years were recruited from three primary schools in the UK (training group n = 33; control group n = 38). Acceptability of the program was high with 76% of children in the training group reporting ‘liking’ practicing mindfulness at school, with a strong link to wanting to continue practicing mindfulness at school (p < 0.001). Self-report comparisons revealed that relative to controls, the training group showed significant decreases in negative affect at follow-up, with a large effect size (p = 0.010, d = 0.84). Teacher reports (but not parental ratings) of meta-cognition also showed significant improvements at follow-up with a large effect size (p = 0.002, d = 1.08). Additionally, significant negative correlations were found between changes in mindfulness and emotion regulation scores from baseline to post-training (p = 0.038) and baseline to follow-up (p = 0.033). Findings from this study provide initial evidence that the Paws b program in children aged 7–9 years (a) can be feasibly delivered by primary school teachers as part of the regular curriculum, (b) is acceptable to the majority of children, and (c) may significantly decrease negative affect and improve meta-cognition.
Highlights
Research has robustly demonstrated that children’s psychological, emotional, and social well-being influences their future physical and mental health, educational outcomes, social prospects, and quality of life in adulthood (Currie et al, 2002)
When participants were asked if they would like to carry on doing mindfulness at school, 61% responded ‘yes,’ 33% ‘maybe,’ and 6.1% responded ‘no.’ The most popular descriptions for what was liked about practicing mindfulness included ‘watching videos’ (24%) and ‘feeling calm’ (21%)
The most disliked aspects of practicing mindfulness were reported as ‘nothing,’ meaning there wasn’t anything they did not like (69.7%), followed by a specific Paws b practice known as ‘Feet On Floor, Bottom/Bum/Body On Chair’ (FOFBOC; 15.1%) – a grounding practice used for responding to emotional difficulty and involving focused attention on the lower body
Summary
Research has robustly demonstrated that children’s psychological, emotional, and social well-being influences their future physical and mental health, educational outcomes, social prospects, and quality of life in adulthood (Currie et al, 2002). The ability to regulate emotions is correlated with higher levels of well-being and learning outcomes in both children and Abbreviations: EIPP, Early Intervention Prevention Programs; EF, Executive Functioning. There is a broad agreement among educators, policymakers, and the public that educational systems should support children to develop emotional and social skills in order to nurture positive health behaviors, meaningful relationships and become emotionally and socially responsible adults (Durlak et al, 2011; Weare, 2013). The school setting offers a ‘gateway’ to provide early intervention and preventive programs (EIPPs) for children that enhance emotional, behavioral, and social learning opportunities (Rempel, 2012; Weare, 2013) and promote positive psychological functioning and emotion regulation capacities (Durak et al, 1997; Diener and Seligman, 2002)
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