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04-08-2020 | ORIGINAL PAPER

Effectiveness of a School-Based Mindfulness Intervention on Children’s Internalizing and Externalizing Problems: the Gaia Project

Auteurs: Silvia Ghiroldi, Francesca Scafuto, Nitamo Federico Montecucco, Fabio Presaghi, Luca Iani

Gepubliceerd in: Mindfulness | Uitgave 11/2020

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Abstract

Objectives

Studies examining the effectiveness of school-based mindfulness interventions on children’s emotional/behavioral problems when delivered by school teachers and professionals are still limited. The present study reports the effectiveness of Gaia, a 12-week program integrating a mindfulness approach into an ecological paradigm.

Methods

To evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention, we conducted a cluster randomized controlled trial that compared outcomes for children assigned to the experimental group (E.G., Gaia program) with those of the control group (C.G.) using hierarchical linear modeling. The intervention was led by instructors within the school curriculum. Emotional/behavioral problems were assessed with the Achenbach Teacher’s Report Form at pre-test and post-test. Four hundred participants aged 6–12 years were recruited from six primary schools (E.G., n = 232; C.G., n = 168).

Results

Teacher-report comparisons revealed that, relative to controls, the E.G. showed significant decreases in total problems, internalizing, externalizing, and in most narrow-band scales at post-intervention. The effect sizes were medium for total problems, externalizing, and attention problems, small to medium for rule-breaking behavior and aggressive behavior, while they resulted small for internalizing and anxiety/depression. While 7.76% of the E.G. showed clinical/borderline levels of total problems before the intervention, 3.87% of this group still showed clinical/borderline levels after the intervention, whereas no children deteriorated, with a significant difference in the direction of change.

Conclusions

Findings from this study indicate that the Gaia program can be delivered by school instructors during a regular curriculum and the intervention is promising for reducing children’s emotional and behavioral problems.
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Metagegevens
Titel
Effectiveness of a School-Based Mindfulness Intervention on Children’s Internalizing and Externalizing Problems: the Gaia Project
Auteurs
Silvia Ghiroldi
Francesca Scafuto
Nitamo Federico Montecucco
Fabio Presaghi
Luca Iani
Publicatiedatum
04-08-2020
Uitgeverij
Springer US
Gepubliceerd in
Mindfulness / Uitgave 11/2020
Print ISSN: 1868-8527
Elektronisch ISSN: 1868-8535
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-020-01473-9