Children Can Truly Benefit from Mindfulness Practice – Behind Scientific Parenting is Respect for Solid Research Results

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if our children could focus on the present moment, manage stress, feel more calm, and do it all at home with their beloved family? This is exactly what a recent study explored, and the results, published in 2023 in the article At-Home use of App-Based Mindfulness for Children: A Randomized Active-Controlled Trial by Treves et al., might surprise you!

The study included 279 children, with an average age of 9, from all over the United States, including Georgia, Massachusetts, California, and Texas. Participants came from diverse backgrounds, and about 25% of the children had a mental health diagnosis.

This was no ordinary study! Meditation is not just a buzzword – it is a mindset focused on the present moment without judgment. Children who regularly meditate often experience reduced stress, improved attention, and even enhanced academic performance. But here’s the twist: the study wanted to see if app-based meditation methods could bring the same benefits, especially because in-school meditation programs have already proven effective. So, are meditation apps just as effective, or even better?

The study used a randomized controlled trial – the gold standard of research – and was divided into three different groups:

1. Meditation Group: These children practiced 10 minutes of meditation daily using the Inner Explorer app, five days a week, with practices including breath focus, body scans, and gratitude meditation.

2. Audiobook-only Group: These children listened to audiobooks without any meditation practice.

3. Audiobook + Coaching Group: These children listened to audiobooks with additional support from learning coaches.

The experiment lasted 8 weeks, with children assessed before and after, reporting on anxiety, stress, meditation skills, and parents sharing their observations of the children's emotional states.

Let’s focus on what the children in the meditation group specifically did:

The mindfulness program was adapted from Inner Explorer’s 90-day plan, but to align with the 8-week audiobook intervention, the duration was adjusted to 40 days. This duration is comparable to most Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) programs – which means we created an engaging and impactful mindfulness experience!

⏰ Frequency and Duration: The children practiced 5 days a week, with each session lasting about 10 minutes. This length of time was enough to incorporate mindfulness into their daily lives without overwhelming them.

♂️ Types of Mindfulness Practices: The course focused on several core practices to help children enhance their emotional regulation and attention skills:

1. Focus on Breath: This practice helped children gently focus their attention on their breathing, fostering awareness and calm.

2. Body Scan: This practice helped children connect with their bodies, notice bodily sensations, and release tension.

3. Gratitude and Compassion Practices: These practices, also referred to as “heart-centered” practices, encouraged kindness and gratitude toward others, strengthening emotional resilience.

The program wasn’t rushed. Parents were instructed to guide their children through the 40 practices in order, and if any practice was missed, they could “catch up” over the weekend.

Throughout the process, the research team didn’t intervene too much but did provide some support, such as:

• Videos about mindfulness and the app.

• Technical support for any issues using the app.

• Weekly summaries outlining past practices and offering optional weekend mindfulness exercises.

The research team used child-perceived stress and anxiety as the primary outcome measures. Child-perceived stress was measured using the Perceived Stress Scale for Children (PSS-C), which includes 13 questions rated on a 4-point Likert scale. These questions assessed stress related to time pressure, academic performance, and relationships with family and friends. Anxiety was measured using the Anxiety Total Scale from the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS-25-C). This scale assesses a broad range of anxiety symptoms based on DSM-IV criteria.

What Were the Study Results?

Let’s dive into the results! 🥳

Key Findings:

• Children who used the meditation app showed significantly reduced stress compared to those who only listened to audiobooks (they felt less stressed).

• Parent reports also showed that children in the meditation group experienced fewer negative emotions (less irritability and low mood).

• Although symptoms of anxiety and depression didn’t significantly decrease, children’s self-perceived stress and negative emotions were significantly reduced.

• Practice is key: Children who used the meditation app more frequently (more than 30 days) showed more significant improvements in emotional well-being, especially in reducing stress and negative emotions.

Why Is This Important?

• Consistency is crucial: The study showed that the more regularly children used the meditation app, the better the outcomes. So, encouraging children to stick with the app is vital.

• Meditation can be done at home: Even with remote interventions (hey, during the pandemic!), the study achieved encouraging results. This gives hope for using meditation apps as a family tool.

• The role of support: Involved adults or coaches can help children stay motivated. Ensuring parental support can help children stay engaged and lead to better outcomes.

What Did We Learn?

• App-based meditation can significantly improve children’s emotional well-being, especially when they use the app regularly.

• We need more research – particularly on how to make the app more engaging to encourage kids to use it.

• Persistence is key: Children need help from their parents to stay consistent, and this is the key to success in family interventions.

The Role of Parents

Parents played an important role in helping children stay engaged throughout the study, and the research design intentionally included strategies to assist them.

• Promote regular use: The study found that regular use (at least 30 days of mindfulness practice within the 8-week study period) was linked to positive outcomes. Strategies should focus on encouraging children to practice mindfulness daily.

• Highlight the benefits: Emphasize the potential benefits of mindfulness for both children and their parents. By highlighting benefits like stress reduction and emotional well-being, parents are more likely to foster a positive attitude toward mindfulness, increasing motivation and adherence.

• Involvement of adult caregivers: Mindfulness instructors can help parents understand the importance of regular practice and its benefits for their children. Parents could participate alongside their children or set a regular time for practice. The research provided video materials about the study, the app, and mindfulness. Ensure participants have clear, easy-to-follow instructions for using the app and offer tech support for downloading and using the app.

• Weekly summaries: Send families weekly digests of past practices, including optional weekend exercises. Use diverse voices in the app to maintain engagement.

• Gamification: Introducing interactive features in the app, such as rewards for consistent practice, could make mindfulness more engaging for children.

What’s Next?

We’ve just begun exploring! This study gives us much hope, but there’s still a lot to investigate:

• How can we make the meditation app better for kids? Maybe adding more interactive features or teaching meditation through games?

• How can we keep children interested in practicing meditation every day? Gamifying meditation might be a way to make it more appealing!

Meditation is a powerful tool that can transform children’s emotional health, and this study shows that meditation apps can have a positive impact. If we can make meditation fun, accessible, and easy to use, future children will have stronger resilience, better emotional regulation, and better stress management skills—valuable tools that will benefit them for life! 🎯

So, let’s look forward to the future of children’s meditation. If we can make it fun, easy to use, and get kids actively involved, we’ll open the door to happiness for the next generation!