A comparison in early high school students of the effect of an 8 week course of mindfulness versus normal school lessons on anxiety, depression, eating disorder risk factors and wellbeing

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Mindfulness, a form of mental skills training that originally derives from Eastern philosophy, shows promise as a prevention programme targeting a range of mental disorders (anxiety, depression and eating disorders) that often emerge in adolescence. Mindfulness involves learning to become fully aware of our present moment experience (both external events, and internally – thoughts, feelings and body sensations). This skill allows us to switch from automatic, habitual reactions, and more consciously/skilfully choose how to respond. Mindfulness training also teaches participants to approach all experience, pleasant and unpleasant (which is a normal part of life) with curiosity, friendliness and acceptance. This fosters an ability to sit with strong negative emotions, without resorting to maladaptive avoidant behaviour, e.g., binge eating or drug abuse. Robust evidence exists for mindfulness interventions with adults for reducing stress, anxiety and depression (Baer, 2003; Grossman et al., 2004; Khoury et al., 2013). Mindfulness in youth is a much newer field. Evidence to date is promising in terms of similar effects (Burke, 2010; Meiklejohn et al., 2012) but stronger empirical evidence is required. One recent study, by Kuyken and colleagues (2013) used the mindfulness in schools “.b” (dot be) curriculum which is an 8-9 lesson, once a week, programme. Across 522 students aged 12-16 years, results showed significant reductions in depression at programme completion in the group receiving the intervention. At 6 months follow up, reductions in depression had been maintained, and effects had broadened to also include decreased stress and increased wellbeing. Raes et al. (2013) found similar effects in their study of 408 school students (mean age 15) using an adolescent mindfulness intervention, with decreased depression and fewer new cases of depression in the intervention group both at programme completion and at 6 month follow up. Our current study seeks to replicate these results in an Australian context. In addition, we will broaden the outcome factors to include not only depression and wellbeing but also anxiety and eating disorder risk factors to investigate the programme’s potential as a prevention strategy across a range of mental health issues. In addition, for the first time, the proposed study will investigate the mechanisms by which mindfulness exerts its effects in adolescents in order to identify specific active components that could be amplified up to improve the effects. We will also investigate moderation, that is, for whom this intervention works. This pilot study, commencing in July 2014, will involve 400 students. These students will receive the full 8 lesson curriculum. We will trial an adult, multifactor mindfulness measurement tool for assessing mechanisms of change, as youth measures are single factor scales which do not allow finegrained analysis of the different elements of mindfulness as potential mediator pathways. Schools will be randomised at the classroom level to intervention or control groups.

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