• MBSR & MBCT Research
• Mindfulness with youth

Research

MBSR & MBCT Research

Research continues to expand, into the effects and outcomes of participation in MBSR & MBCT group programs. Meta-analyses of outcome measures of physical and psychological health found medium effect sizes (Baer, 2003; Grossman et. al, 2004)

THIS PAGE IS BEING UPDATED

 

Mindfulness with youth

 

 The adult MBSR and MBCT models have been successfully adapted for applications with young people, in both clinical and non-clinical populations. The research in this field is still in its infancy, and for a review of current research, see Burke, C.A. (2010) Mindfulness-based approaches with children and adolescents: A preliminary review of current research in an emergent field. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 19, 133-144.

Abstract: Interest in applications of mindfulness-based approaches with adults has grown rapidly in recent times, and there is an expanding research base that suggests these are efficacious approaches to promoting psychological health and well-being.  Interest has spread to applications of mindfulness-based approaches with children and adolescents, yet the research is still in its infancy. I aim to provide a preliminary review of the current research base of mindfulness-based approaches with children and adolescents, focusing on MBSR/MBCT models, which place the regular practice of mindfulness meditation at the core of the intervention. Overall, the current research base provides support for the feasibility of mindfulness-based interventions with children and adolescents, however there is no generalized empirical evidence of the efficacy of these interventions.  For the field to advance, I suggest that research needs to shift away from feasibility studies towards large, well-designed studies with robust methodologies, and adopt standardized formats for interventions, allowing for replication and comparison studies, to develop a firm research evidence base.