Rethinking Future Directions of the Mindfulness Field

The Effect of a Short-Term Mindfulness Program on Motor Skills and on Psychological and Social Behavior in Preschool Children: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: Mindfulness-based interventions have shown promise in improving various developmental outcomes in children, including resilience, social behavior, and motor skills. However, the effectiveness of such interventions in preschool-aged children remains underexplored.Purpose: This study aimed to assess the effect of a one-week mindfulness-based intervention on resilience, social behavior, and motor skills in four to five-year-old children.Research Design: We conducted a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the impact of the intervention. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups: a mindfulness group (MG), a physical activity group (PAG), and a control group (CG).Study Sample: The study sample consisted of 45 children (22 females; 23 males; M age = 4.5, SD = 0.4 years) from the same preschool.Data Collection and/or Analysis: Participants were randomly assigned to three groups: (a) a mindfulness group (MG; n = 15) that participated in five 30-min mindfulness sessions; (b) a physical activity group (PAG; n = 15) that engaged in five 45-min physical exercise sessions; and (c) a control group (CG; n = 15) that received no intervention. Training sessions were held on five consecutive days. Assessments were conducted before (T0) and after (T1) the intervention using the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2 (to assess motor skills), the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (to evaluate behavior), and the Child and Youth Resilience Measure-28 (to measure resilience).Results: At baseline (T0), there were no significant differences between the groups. After the intervention (T1), the mindfulness group experienced the strongest positive effects, with significant improvements in motor skills and social behavior, although there was no significant effect on resilience.Conclusions: Our results suggest that a brief mindfulness training intervention is a promising strategy for improving motor skills and social behavior in early childhood settings, though it did not significantly affect resilience.

The Effect of a Short-Term Mindfulness Program on Motor Skills and on Psychological and Social Behavior in Preschool Children: A Randomized Controlled Trial

We assessed the effect of a one-week mindfulness-based intervention on resilience, social behavior, and motor skills in four to five-year-old children. In this randomized controlled trial, 45 children (22 females; 23 males; M age = 4.5, SD = 0.4 years) from the same preschool were randomly assigned to three groups: (a) a mindfulness group (MG; n = 15) that participated in five 30-min mindfulness sessions; (b) a physical activity group (PAG; n = 15) that engaged in five 45-min physical exercise sessions; and a control group (CG; n = 15) that received no intervention. Training sessions were held on five consecutive days. Prior to (T0) and after the five mindfulness sessions (T1), all participants blindly completed the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2 (to assess their motor skills), the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (to evaluate their behavior), and the Child and Youth Resilience Measure-28 (to measure their resilience). At baseline (T0), there were no significant differences between the groups. The mindfulness group experienced the strongest positive effects after the intervention (T1), with improvements in both motor skills and social behavior, though there was no significant effect on resilience. Our results suggest that a brief mindfulness training intervention is a promising strategy for improving motor skills and social behavior in early childhood settings.

Working College Students' Time Pressure and Work-School Conflict: Do Boundary Permeability and Dispositional Mindfulness Matter?

Although working college students are experiencing increasing demands on their time, the influence of time pressure on students' work-school experience has been under-studied in the extant career development literature. Drawing on boundary theory and conservation of resources theory, the present research investigates the degree to which work or school time pressure is associated with working college students' work-school conflict through work-school boundary permeability. Moreover, this study considers dispositional mindfulness as an individual resource that buffers the relationships above. Using a sample of 222 working college students in a large and diverse public university in the United States, we find support that work and school time pressures predict higher work-school conflict through work-school boundary permeability. Results also suggest that dispositional mindfulness moderates the indirect relationship among school time pressure, school-to-work boundary permeability, and school-to-work conflict. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of our findings.

A translational neuroscience perspective on mindfulness meditation as a prevention strategy

Mindfulness meditation research mainly focuses on psychological outcomes such as behavioral, cognitive, and emotional functioning. However, the neuroscience literature on mindfulness meditation has grown in recent years. This paper provides an overview of relevant neuroscience and psychological research on the effects of mindfulness meditation. We propose a translational prevention framework of mindfulness and its effects. Drawing upon the principles of prevention science, this framework integrates neuroscience and prevention research and postulates underlying brain regulatory mechanisms that explain the impact of mindfulness on psychological outcomes via self-regulation mechanisms linked to underlying brain systems. We conclude by discussing potential clinical and practice implications of this model and directions for future research.