MINDFULNESS AND TEENAGERS’ BRAINS

It was that great American joke thief Milton Berle who---so he says---said, 'It's hard for a teenager to concede that someday he'll be as stupid as his father.' Teenagers---we all have stories and jokes to tell at their expense ... and our own.

This is no joke. It is well-known that the brains of teenagers are still ‘developing’---that is, still undergoing a period of active construction.

It is becomingly increasingly clear that teenagers who practise mindfulness benefit from increased self-control, healthier relationships, and improved overall well-being. That should not come as a surprise.

Psychologists at the University of Wollongong and George Mason University in Washington DC studied mindfulness in 776 Grade 10 students over a one-year period. The results of their research were published in the Journal of Adolescence.

The study revealed that ‘acting with awareness’ (engaging fully in one’s current activity with undivided attention), emotional awareness, and experiential acceptance where all linked to prosocial tendencies and uniquely predicted increases in well-being across the year. Observing experience (noticing, observing, and attending to a variety of stimuli) was correlated with positive and negative aspects of personality and did not predict changes in wellbeing.

The study provides support for the importance of awareness and acceptance in the development of well-being in adolescence. The cross-sectional component of the study suggests that ‘awareness and acceptance are correlated with all dimensions of well-being, and with the general tendency to experience fewer negative states (or neuroticism).’ The study also found that awareness and acceptance preceded decreases in sadness, fear, and hostility, and increases in positive affect. That finding suggests that awareness and acceptance play a causal role in well-being.

NOTE. This post sets out a simple form of mindfulness sitting meditation.

Resource: Ciarrochi J, Kashdan T B, Leeson P, Heaven P, & Jordan C. ‘On being aware and accepting: A one-year longitudinal study into adolescent well-being.’ Journal of Adolescence xxx (2010) 1–9.

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IMPORTANT NOTICE: See the Terms of Use and Disclaimer. The information provided on this blogspot is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Never delay or disregard seeking professional medical advice from your medical practitioner or other qualified health provider because of something you have read on this blogspot. For immediate advice or support call Lifeline on 13 1 1 14 or Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800. For information, advice and referral on mental illness contact the SANE Helpline on 1800 18 SANE (7263) go online via sane.org

MINDFULNESS MEDITATION INCREASES WELLBEING IN ADOLESCENT BOYS

Mindfulness, the process of learning to become more aware of our ongoing experiences, increases wellbeing in adolescent boys, a new study reports.

Researchers from the University of Cambridge analysed 155 boys from two independent UK schools, Tonbridge and Hampton, before and after a 4-week crash course in mindfulness.

After the trial period, the 14 and 15 year-old boys were found to have increased wellbeing, defined as the combination of feeling good (including positive emotions such as happiness, contentment, interest and affection) and functioning well.

Professor Felicia Huppert (pictured below) of the Well-being Institute at the University of Cambridge said:

"More and more we are realising the importance of supporting the overall mental health of children. Our study demonstrates that this type of training improves wellbeing in adolescents and that the more they practise, the greater the benefits. Importantly, many of the students genuinely enjoyed the exercises and said they intended to continue them – a good sign that many children would be receptive to this type of intervention.

"Another significant aspect of this study is that adolescents who suffered from higher levels of anxiety were the ones who benefitted most from the training."

For the experiment, students in 6 classes were trained in mindful awareness – mindfulness.

Mindfulness is a "way of paying attention. It means consciously bringing awareness to our experience, in the present moment, without making judgments about it" [as described in the Mental Health Foundation report Be Mindful issued in 2010].

That report makes the case for making meditation-based therapy available to everyone who experiences recurrent depression.

The report highlights the proven effectiveness of treatments such as mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) and shows how developing services could reduce the cost - human and economic - of depression to society.

Students in the 5 control classes attended their normal religious studies lessons.

The classes covered the concepts of awareness and acceptance, and taught the schoolboys such things as how to practice bodily awareness by noticing where they were in contact with their chairs or the floor, paying attention to their breathing, and noticing all the sensations involved in walking.The training consisted of four 40 minute classes, one per week, which presented the principles and practice of mindfulness.

The students were also asked to practice outside the classroom and were encouraged to listen to a CD or mp3 file for 8 minutes a day. These exercises are intended to improve concentration and reduce stress.

All participants completed a short series of online questionnaires before and after the mindfulness project. The questionnaires measured the effect of the training on changes in mindful awareness, resilience (the ability to modify responses to changing situations) and psychological wellbeing.

The researchers found that although it was a short program, the students who participated in the mindfulness training had increased levels of wellbeing which were proportional to the amount of time the students spent practising their new skills.

Professor Huppert continued: "We believe that the effects of mindfulness training can enhance wellbeing in a number of ways. If you practice being in the present, you can increase positive feelings by savouring pleasurable on-going experiences. Additionally, calming the mind and observing experiences with curiosity and acceptance not only reduces stress but helps with attention control and emotion regulation – skills which are valuable both inside and outside the classroom."

NOTE. This blog sets out a simple form of mindfulness sitting meditation.

Source: University of Cambridge. Article Date: 19/9/10.


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IMPORTANT NOTICE: See the Terms of Use and Disclaimer. The information provided on this blogspot is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Never delay or disregard seeking professional medical advice from your medical practitioner or other qualified health provider because of something you have read on this blogspot. For immediate advice or support call Lifeline on 13 1 1 14 or Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800. For information, advice and referral on mental illness contact the SANE Helpline on 1800 18 SANE (7263) go online via sane.org