title: Mindfulness training improves attentional task performance in incarcerated youth: a group randomized controlled intervention trial.
abstract: We investigated the impact of cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness training (CBT/MT) on attentional task performance in incarcerated adolescents. Attention is a cognitive system necessary for managing cognitive demands and regulating emotions. Yet persistent and intensive demands, such as those experienced during high-stress intervals like incarceration and the events leading to incarceration, may deplete attention resulting in cognitive failures, emotional disturbances, and impulsive behavior. We hypothesized that CBT/MT may mitigate these deleterious effects of high stress and protect against degradation in attention over the high-stress interval of incarceration. Using a quasi-experimental, group randomized controlled trial design, we randomly assigned dormitories of incarcerated youth, ages 16-18, to a CBT/MT intervention (youth n = 147) or an active control intervention (youth n = 117). Both arms received approximately 750 min of intervention in a small-group setting over a 3-5 week period. Youth in the CBT/MT arm also logged the amount of out-of-session time spent practicing MT exercises. The Attention Network Test was used to index attentional task performance at baseline and 4 months post-baseline. Overall, task performance degraded over time in all participants. The magnitude of performance degradation was significantly less in the CBT/MT vs. control arm. Further, within the CBT/MT arm, performance degraded over time in those with no outside-of-class practice time, but remained stable over time in those who practiced mindfulness exercises outside of the session meetings. Thus, these findings suggest that sufficient CBT/MT practice may protect against functional attentional impairments associated with high-stress intervals.
authors.affiliation: College of Nursing, New York University New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Noelle R
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Leonard
authors.forename: Amishi P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Jha
authors.forename: Bethany
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Casarjian
authors.forename: Merissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Goolsarran
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Garcia
authors.forename: Charles M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Cleland
authors.forename: Marya V
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Gwadz
authors.forename: Zohar
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Massey
keywords: adolescent development; attention; detained adolescents; incarcerated adolescents; mindfulness meditation; stress