title: Effectiveness of a school-based mindfulness program for transdiagnostic prevention in young adolescents.
abstract: Anxiety, depression and eating disorders show peak emergence during adolescence and share common risk factors. School-based prevention programs provide a unique opportunity to access a broad spectrum of the population during a key developmental window, but to date, no program targets all three conditions concurrently. Mindfulness has shown promising early results across each of these psychopathologies in a small number of controlled trials in schools, and therefore this study investigated its use in a randomised controlled design targeting anxiety, depression and eating disorder risk factors together for the first time. Students (M age 13.63; SD = .43) from a broad band of socioeconomic demographics received the eight lesson, once weekly.b ("Dot be") mindfulness in schools curriculum (N = 132) or normal lessons (N = 176). Anxiety, depression, weight/shape concerns and wellbeing were the primary outcome factors. Although acceptability measures were high, no significant improvements were found on any outcome at post-intervention or 3-month follow-up. Adjusted mean differences between groups at post-intervention were .03 (95% CI: -.06 to -.11) for depression, .01 (-.07 to -.09) for anxiety, .02 (-.05 to -.08) for weight/shape concerns, and .06 (-.08 to -.21) for wellbeing. Anxiety was higher in the mindfulness than the control group at follow-up for males, and those of both genders with low baseline levels of weight/shape concerns or depression. Factors that may be important to address for effective dissemination of mindfulness-based interventions in schools are discussed. Further research is required to identify active ingredients and optimal dose in mindfulness-based interventions in school settings.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia, Australia. Electronic address: catherine.johnson@flinders.edu.au.
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.affiliation: Institute of Positive Psychology and Education, Australian Catholic University, Strathfield, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Burke
authors.affiliation: Telethon Kids Institute, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia; School of Population Health, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Sally
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Brinkman
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Tracey
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wade
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D001007:Anxiety / Q000517:prevention & control*; D001835:Body Weight; D003863:Depression / Q000517:prevention & control*; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D064866:Mindfulness; D012572:School Health Services; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: Adolescence; Mindfulness; Prevention; Schools; Transdiagnostic