THE MINDFULNESS IN SCHOOLS PROJECT ROLLS ON!

In order to build stronger, more resilient and more compassionate adults we must start with children. Mindfulness is increasingly being used as a way of achieving that goal.

Here’s an excellent update on the Mindfulness in Schools Project from Australia’s The Age newspaper ... and here's another recent article on mindfulness and school children from The Australian newspaper.

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MINDFULNESS IN SCHOOLS WORKS WONDERS

It has been well-known for many years that mindfulness-based approaches for adults are effective at enhancing mental health, but few controlled trials have evaluated their effectiveness among young people.

The aim of a recent British study, reported in the August 2013 edition of the British Journal of Psychiatry, was to assess the acceptability and efficacy of a schools-based universal mindfulness intervention---known as the Mindfulness in Schools Programme (MiSP)---to enhance mental health and well-being.

The MiSP curriculum’s primary aim is to teach young people skills to work with mental states, everyday life and stressors so as to cultivate well-being and promote mental health. One of the strengths of the study was the choice of a follow-up period in the most stressful part of the school year to test whether the MiSP curriculum conferred protection as evidenced through less self- reported stress and greater well-being.

A total of 522 young people aged 12-16 in 12 secondary schools either participated in the MiSP (intervention), which has been operating in the United Kingdom for some time now, or took part in the usual school curriculum (control).

The results of the study were more than acceptable, even allowing for the fact that the study had several limitations noted in the report. Rates of acceptability were high. Relative to the controls, and after adjusting for baseline imbalances, children who participated in the intervention reported fewer depressive symptoms post-treatment (P = 0.004) and at follow-up (P = 0.005) and lower stress (P = 0.05) and greater well-being (P = 0.05) at follow-up. The degree to which students in the intervention group practised the mindfulness skills was associated with better well-being (P<0.001) and less stress (P = 0.03) at 3-month follow-up.

The findings provide promising evidence of the programme’s acceptability and efficacy, with the authors concluding:

'In summary, although schools-based interventions can sometimes be implemented as a result of short-term policy drivers or charismatic innovators, interventions that demonstrate acceptability, efficacy, cost-effectiveness and potential for implementation are most likely to be sustainable. This feasibility study is the first step towards evaluating the MiSP curriculum and provides preliminary evidence of acceptability and efficacy.'

Resource: Kuyken W, Weare K, Ukoumunne O C, Vicary R, Motton N, Burnett R, Cullen C, Hennelly S, and Huppert, F. ‘Effectiveness of the Mindfulness in SchoolsProgramme: non-randomised controlled feasibility study,’ British Journal of Psychiatry (2013) vol 203, issue 2 (August), 126–131. doi: 10.1192/bjp.bp.113.126649

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MINDFULNESS IMPROVES CHILD WELLBEING ACCORDING TO NEW BRITISH RESEARCH

Research released recently by the University of Exeter shows that a schools-based mindfulness program can aid pupils' wellbeing, with a reduction in stress still being reported 3 months after the program's completion.

The key findings from the research are as follows:

 

·         children who participated in the mindfulness in schools program reported fewer depressive systems after treatment, and also 3 months after completion of the program;

 

·         children reported lower stress and greater well-being 3 months after completion of the program;

 

·         the degree to which students practised mindfulness skills was associated with better well-being and lower stress.

 

Bright Futures Educational Trust provided a number of students from Altrincham GrammarSchool for Girls (AGGS) to form part of the sample group for the research.

The Mindfulness in Schools program, known as .b [pronounced dot-be, which stands for ‘Stop, Breathe and Be!’], gives students mindfulness as a life skill. Endorsed by the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford Brookes, the program helps students to feel happier, calmer and more fulfilled, get on better with others, concentrate and learn better, and cope with stress and anxiety.

 

Associate Principal of the Bright Futures Educational Trust, Amanda Bailey [pictured left], says:

 

Bright Futures Educational Trust is committed to innovation in improving pupil attainment, and that's why some of our students were involved in this piece of research.

 

Mindfulness teaches students how their minds work to improve concentration, manage exams effectively and help them see life more clearly through calmer modes of mind.

Mindfulness is already benefiting some of our pupils, and given the strong results of this research we will be giving students at all our schools the opportunity to try Mindfulness for themselves.

For more information about mindfulness and the results of the study, visit the site of the Mindfulness in Schools Project (MiSP), which is a non-profit organisation teaching secular mindfulness to pupils, teachers and parents using the .b courses.

 

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