title: A pilot randomized trial teaching mindfulness-based stress reduction to traumatized youth in foster care.
abstract: This article presents a pilot project implementing a mindfulness-based stress reduction program among traumatized youth in foster and kinship care over 10 weeks. Forty-two youth participated in this randomized controlled trial that used a mixed-methods (quantitative, qualitative, and physiologic) evaluation. Youth self-report measuring mental health problems, mindfulness, and stress were lower than anticipated, and the relatively short time-frame to teach these skills to traumatized youth may not have been sufficient to capture significant changes in stress as measured by electrocardiograms. Main themes from qualitative data included expressed competence in managing ongoing stress, enhanced self-awareness, and new strategies to manage stress. We share our experiences and recommendations for future research and practice, including focusing efforts on younger youth, and using community-based participatory research principles to promote engagement and co-learning. CLINICALTRIALS.GOV: Protocol Registration System ID NCT01708291.
authors.affiliation: Division of General Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, USA; Department of Medicine-Cardiology, University of Rochester, USA. Electronic address: Sandra_Jee@urmc.rochester.edu.
authors.forename: Sandra H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Jee
authors.affiliation: Counseling and Human Development, University of Rochester, USA.
authors.forename: Jean-Philippe
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Couderc
authors.affiliation: Warner School of Education, University of Rochester, USA.
authors.forename: Dena
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Swanson
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Rochester, USA.
authors.forename: Autumn
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gallegos
authors.affiliation: Division of General Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, USA.
authors.forename: Cammie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hilliard
authors.affiliation: Division of General Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, USA.
authors.forename: Aaron
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Blumkin
authors.affiliation: Division of General Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, USA.
authors.forename: Kendall
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Cunningham
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Rochester, USA.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Heinert
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D005581:Foster Home Care; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D064866:Mindfulness / Q000379:methods*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000628:therapy*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Foster care; Kinship care; Mindfulness; Stress; Youth