Investigating the Effect of Mindfulness-based Intervention for Children on their Mindfulness and Mental Health

Vesali Mahmoud, Roshanak; Ahadi, Hassan; Kajbaf, Mohammad Bagher; Neshatdoust, Hamid Taher

Volume 7 - MEJDS (2017) 7: 21 | Back to browse issues page

‎ 20.1001.1.23222840.1396.7.0.20.8

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Vesali Mahmoud R, Ahadi H, Kajbaf M B, Neshatdoust H T. Investigating the Effect of Mindfulness-based Intervention for Children on their Mindfulness and Mental Health. MEJDS 2017; 7 :21-21
URL: http://jdisabilstud.org/article-1-620-en.html

Investigating the Effect of Mindfulness-based Intervention for Children on their Mindfulness and Mental Health

Roshanak Vesali Mahmoud¹

, Hassan Ahadi ^*²

, Mohammad Bagher Kajbaf³

, Hamid Taher Neshatdoust³

1- Islamic Azad University, Isfahan branch (Khorasgan)
2- Islamic Azad University (Science and Research branch)
3- University of Isfahan

Abstract: (6427 Views)

Abstract
Objective: The use of mindfulness-based interventions is now common in various psycho-educational and therapeutic investigations for adults and adolescents. However, this intervention is not used for Iranian children. Therefore, this study evaluates the effect of Children Mindfulness-based Intervention on mindfulness and mental health of Iranian school-aged children.
Methods: This is a two group pre-test post–test quasi-experimental research. The population of this study was Iranian school-aged children aged 5-12. Convenience (voluntarily) sampling was used to recruit the participants. A total of 234 participants (116 boys, 118 girls) were randomly assigned to control (n=117) and intervention (n=117) groups. The Intervention group received 9 weeks of mindfulness-based educational-intervention (each session was 45-70 min), while the control group did not receive. The instruments to assess mindfulness and mental-health were CAMM and PCS-17 respectively. ANCOVA procedures were used to analyze the data.
Results: The results showed an increase in children’s mindfulness (F(1,229)=52.70, p<0.001) and a decrease in total score of mental health (F(1,229)=21.31, p<0.001), internalizing (F(1,229)=18.54, p<0.001) among the participants in the intervention group. There was also a significant difference between girls and boys in the post-tests of total mental health (F(1,229)=7.18, p<0.01), internalizing (F(1,229)=4.65, p<0.05) scores in control and intervention groups. As mental health and internalizing scores indicate the intervention program had a statistically significant effect on the participants’ mental health and mindfulness. As to gender differences, the results show that girls benefited from the intervention program more than boys on both aforementioned dimensions.
Conclusion: Mindfulness-based intervention for children could be used as an intervention to increase children’s mental health and to decrease externalizing and internalizing disorders as it increases their mindfulness.