Mindfulness - a key component of education
I recently wrote a POSTnote application (The Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology) to the government discussing the importance of utilising mindfulness training in the school setting to support youth mental wellbeing and emotional development. I thought I would share this piece on here too as I passionately believe we need to cultivate methods to support the next generations mental wellbeing.
Overview
Mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression are consistently rising among children and adolescents (Farrell & Barrett., 2007). Exposure to stress is continuously increasing with the mass adoption of social media and negative news (Barnes et al., 2003). Mindfulness training has become a growing method utilised to support people’s mental wellbeing (Baer, 2003) and is now being utilised within the education setting to support youth mental health whilst also aiding the development of greater focus, attention, self control and compassion (Costello and Lawlor, 2014).
Background
Mindfulness has been defined as paying attention, on purpose, to your present experience, without judgement (Kabat-Zinn., 2003). Mindfulness has been proven to enhance the self-regulation of attention and help one adopt an open and accepting attitude towards their own experience (Bishop et al., 2004).
It has been described as more than just an exercise, rather it is a method to help individuals understand and experience our world in an alternative way (Kabat-Zinn., 2003).
Children exhibit an openness and desire to learn and understand. Introducing mindfulness during their youth may enhance their ability to navigate through the inevitable challenges presented to them (Rempel., 2012). A large proportion of children’s upbringing is spent in the school environment, creating a perfect opportunity to develop these skills.
When considering implementing a practice such as this, respecting its historical underpinnings is essential. Mindfulness entails paying attention to our thoughts in a non-reactive way, whilst cultivating compassion towards them. By practicing this skill it allows an individual to view their habitual reactivity to their thinking in a non-judgemental manner, ultimately leading to an alternative relationship with one’s mind (Williams, 2010).
Youth stress
Stress is an evolutionary mechanism that creates the fight-or-flight response, a state experienced both mentally and physically during moments of threat or danger (Perry, Pollard, Blakley, Baker & Vigilante., 1995). Although stress is a natural process that occurs in children’s lives, acknowledging it and developing strategies to cope with it are required to prevent potential negative outcomes (Costello & Lawler., 2014).
The creation and mass adoption of social media has increased social comparison and judgement in children and adolescents.
It has been revealed this increase correlates with a rise in anxiety, depression and psychological distress in adolescents (Keles, McCrae & Grealish., 2020). Social-emotional challenges, behavioural difficulties and poor academic performance are among the consequences of today’s society (Mendelson et al., 2010). Mendelson and colleagues highlighted the importance of mindfulness in improving self-regulation, mood and social-emotional development.
Throughout a child’s life, they are exposed to a great deal of stressors, including family breakdown, death of loved ones, violence in the media, social comparison and information overload (Barnes et al., 2003). A rise in stress exposure has been highlighted as a key contributing factor to depression in young people (Parker & Roy., 2001). Shapiro et al. (2008) demonstrated how mindfulness training can develop children and adolescent’s ability to tolerate life’s stressors.
Youth mental wellbeing
The quantity of young people being diagnosed with mental health disorders is continuously rising (Farrell & Barrett., 2007). Approximately 20% of the paediatric population have a diagnosable mental health disorder (US Department of Health, 2000). During the times in which children and adolescents are suffering from such disorders, research has demonstrated a reduction in organisational skills and capability to focus on tasks (Shapiro et al., 2008). Research has progressively demonstrated the positive implications of utilising mindfulness-based training as a method to alleviate the challenges children face as a result of these disorders (Baer., 2003; Beauchemin, Hutchins & Patterson., 2008).
Anxiety is becoming ever prevalent; it is estimated that between 8.3 and 27% of people will experience this mental health disorder in their lifetime (Costello, Egger & Arnold., 2005).
Those suffering from anxiety often exhibit impaired attention. Mindfulness training has been revealed to develop attentional control and enhance focus, consequently leading to reduced anxiety in children (Semple et al., 2005).
Depression is estimated to affect one in five children and adolescents (Hayes et al., 2010). Parker and Roy (2001) have highlighted that the increasing risk of developing depression is rising, whilst the age of onset is falling. Anxiety and depression are mental health disorders that are extremely prevalent amongst this population. Semple et al. (2010) revealed significant reductions in children with clinical levels of anxiety as a result of mindfulness training.
Lower socioeconomic areas
Dore (2005) highlighted the increased vulnerability that children in greater risk of poverty have to experiencing stress and mental health problems in comparison to the general population. These children have been found to be exposed to greater physical abuse and family violence, resulting in them experiencing large amounts of stress early in life (Costello & Lawler., 2014). Children from these backgrounds are therefore proposed to be at more risk of experiencing mental health difficulties such as anxiety, depression, low self-esteem and conduct disorder (Napoli, Krech & Holley., 2005).
Children that experience social-emotional and behavioural difficulties have been revealed to struggle more in the school setting, displaying poor academic results and higher rates of dropout (Shapiro et al., 2008). The evidential negative effects of stress on children’s psychological functioning demonstrates the necessity of having a programme to support such issues. Barnes et al. (2003) identified the significant desire schools with children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds have to utilise strategies to support their mental well-being. However, Barnes et al. (2003) highlighted the difficulty many schools have in ascertaining programmes that can be implemented effectively.
Negative rumination is a significant risk factor and symptom of anxiety (Verstraeten et al., 2011). Highly stressed children have been identified as at risk of increased negative rumination; mindfulness training aims to develop children’s awareness of such negative thinking and helps them create strategies to utilise in these moments (Wadswoth, Raviv, Compas & Connor-Smith., 2005).
People often develop automatic habits that can exacerbate the effects of stress, including negative self-talk, where children can be very critical of their self, perceiving themselves as not good enough (Brantley, 2014).
Developing an alternative relationship with this form of thinking and learning to reduce judgement is a way in which mindfulness training can reduce persistent rumination (Costello & Lawler., 2014).
Mindfulness in schools
Initial reviews into the effects of school-based mindfulness programmes have highlighted their ability to reduce internalising and externalising behaviours and increase positive engagement in a diverse range of schools, including those in low socioeconomic areas (Burke, 2010; Greenberg & Harris., 2012). Among a large sample of children revealing high levels of anxiety, a school-based mindfulness intervention resulted in reduced anxiety, increased teacher rated attention and more developed social skills (Napoli et al., 2005).
Black and Fernando (2014) examined the influence of a 5-week mindfulness programme for low-income, ethnic-minority primary school children. Following the intervention, developments were observed in the children’s attention, self-control, classroom participation and empathetic behaviour towards each other. Furthermore, Klatt et al. (2012) demonstrated the beneficial effects of an 8-week mindfulness programme for low-income primary school children. Following the programme, significant improvements were displayed regarding hyperactive behaviour, ADHD symptoms and inattention in the children.
One key limitation to these two studies is that the findings were based on parental and teacher reports, without considering the children’s personal experience. Costello and Lawlor (2014) explored children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds’ own perspective of a mindfulness training programme on their perceived levels of stress. Participants reported that developing the ability to pause and be reflective in moments of high stress significantly reduced their subsequent frustration.
Further, children reported an increased desire to perform the practice as the weeks went on, commenting that it made them feel happy, calm and relaxed which lead to a reduction in their perceived levels of stress. Costello and Lawlor (2014) concluded this research reveals mindfulness’s potential as a simple, cost-effective strategy to increase the resilience and coping mechanisms of students.
Finally, the University of Oxford is currently carrying out the MYRIAD project, an extensive investigation into the benefits of mindfulness in 84 schools. Initial results have highlighted significant mental health benefits alongside demonstrating the interventions feasibility and acceptability within this setting (Kuyken et al., 2013).
Benefits from a neuroscientific perspective
Self-regulation refers to the level of self-control an individual has over their thoughts, actions and emotions (Zelazo & Lyons., 2012). Self-regulation has become an increasingly interesting topic as a result of its predictive capability for key developmental outcomes. Such areas include math and reading skills in preschool children (Blair & Razza., 2007), aptitude test scores in adolescents (Eigsti et al., 2006) and its influence on characteristics of later life, including physical health, substance dependence and socioeconomic status (Moffit et al., 2011).
Self-regulation has been consistently demonstrated to be associated with top-down neurocognitive aspects, such as executive function, specifically regarding cognitive flexibility, inhibitory control and working memory (Miyake et al., 2000). Bottom-up influences, such as stress, arousal and anxiety have been highlighted as factors affecting children’s ability to control their behaviour (Spear, 2000).
The practice of mindfulness, purposefully reflecting on one’s present experience facilitates self-regulation through the promotion of top-down factors, such as sustained attention and cognitive flexibility, whilst diminishing bottom-up influencers such as emotional reactivity and judgment (Zelazo & Lyons., 2012). Therefore, mindfulness training has the potential to develop children at a cognitive level (attention) and at an emotional level (evaluation), resulting in a disruption to automatic emotional responses and promoting greater calmness and emotional stability (Broderick and Metz, 2009).
Further, Flook et al. (2010) investigated the effects of mindfulness training on a sample of children’s executive function. Participation in the programme resulted in improvements to behavioural regulation, metacognition and overall executive function. This research demonstrates the benefits of mindfulness training in educational settings, particularly for those with executive function difficulties.
Mindfulness practices
There a number of different methods to practice mindfulness that have had positive effects on children. Such methods include mindful yoga, body scanning, meditation, breathing exercises and Tai Chi, all of which are utilised to develop individuals’ attention and awareness (Abrams, 2008). Researched examples of different methods in this population include:
- Breathing exercises, yoga and guided mindfulness have been revealed to enhance 9-11 year olds ability to regulate their emotions and reduce stress levels (Mendelson et al., 2010).
- Breath work, body scanning and mindful movement exercises have been revealed to improve children’s focus and attention (Napoli et al., 2005).
- Sensation focused meditation has been demonstrated to have a positive effect on children with conduct disorder, specifically when utilised to shift their attention away from anger towards the neutral stimulus of their feet on the floor. Improvements that were displayed included greater behavioural control, focus and quality of sleep (Singh et al., 2003).
Mindfulness interventions
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)
- Created to support mental well-being, specifically anxiety (Kabat-Zinn, 2003).
- Adjusted versions of MBSR created for children revealing developments to their attention, self-regulation, social competence and general well-being (Saltzman & Goldin, 2008).
- Includes mindful eating, body scans, guided practices and yoga.
- When utilised with children, shortening the guided meditation and ensuring mindful eating and mindful movement are a primary focus aids the potential for improvement.
Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT-C)
- MBCT-C was created to develop children's management of attention, their ability to disengage from negative ruminative thinking and improve their emotional self regulation and resilience (Semple & Lee, 2008).
- Includes mindful eating, body scans, guided practices and yoga (valuable to reduce practice length and focus on movement based methods).
Obstacles
Successfully implementing mindfulness programmes within schools is accompanied by a number of challenges, these include: a lack of belief in its benefits by the children, staff not being trained sufficiently to deliver the programme, and specific difficulties faced by the children whilst performing the mindfulness practices, such as an inability to focus and subsequent frustration.
When implementing these interventions there are a number of key points to follow:
- Ensure each teaching point is supported by scientific evidence, for example, its effect on attention, concentration, awareness, compassion, happiness and sleep (Chambers, Lo & Allen, 2008; Evans et al., 2008; Neff & Germer, 2013; Ong, Ulmer & Mamber, 2012).
- Ensure teachers have the adequate training to deliver the programme effectively.
- Ensure children understand that this practice is not about controlling and focusing their attention with force, rather, it is simply a process of noticing (without judgment) where their attention is and during times where it wanders gently moving it back to a present sensation.
- Ensuring practices are developmentally appropriate. When engaging with a young audience (<10yrs) ensuring the practice is fun and engaging is key. Movement based practices are very valuable in this instance.
Overview and conclusion
During childhood and adolescence, children are exposed to a great deal of emotional challenges and many will unfortunately experience mental health disorders (Farrell & Barrett., 2007).
Children who have experienced high stress exposure in their youth are proposed to be at greater risk of experiencing emotional difficulties (Dore, 2005). Mindfulness training has been revealed to specifically support such children and adolescents (Burke, 2010; Greenberg & Harris., 2012).
Mindfulness training has been demonstrated to be a viable, feasible and valuable method to utilise in the school setting in order to support those experiencing mental health disorders, reduce the chances of others experiencing them, promote their social-emotional development and to increase children’s attentional control, focus and compassion (Semple et al., 2005).
Thank you for taking the time to read this article, I hope this has opened your mind to the importance of utilising this training whilst young. If you have would like to learn more about this area please feel free to reach out to me.
Tj Power
Researcher || Lecturer || QMHP-R || Clin Psych at Lead City University
4 年This is very nice paper TJ. It has expanded my knowledge about the subject matter beyond treatment modality but preventive measure also.
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4 年Perhaps I've engaged with mindfulness without realising it. Observing my thoughts with impartiality and somehow separating from any emotions. I do though wonder whether there are dangers to the practice of mindfulness for some people? I'm certainly not an expert but I do like to consider all the arguments before offering an opinion. This article in the Guardian, asked the question - is-mindfulness-making-us-ill https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/jan/23/is-mindfulness-making-us-ill#maincontent Thinking about schools the school setting and the way teaching is done, seems to be the opposite to that which a young human mind and body needs. The point I'm attempting to make is that we may not need mindfulness if we were allowed to be human. In constricting people to a square box, force fed data and put into a uniform which restricts thinking outside the box, is destroying that which makes us human. Be interested to hear your points. Cheers Steve
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4 年Thanks for this Tj Power. We need to make mindfulness back into what it is supposed to be in the practice as well, not just a tick box exercise seen as a way of calming the brain only. The nourishment of the soul and the gain it gives to resilience and compassion are far more important.
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4 年Great to see a young person so passionate about preventative practice to protect mental health.
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4 年This is an important topic - well done