Using mindfulness practices with adolescents

Journal title QUADERNI DI PSICOTERAPIA COGNITIVA
Author/s Barbara Barcaccia, Francesco Mancini, Roberto Baiocco
Publishing Year 2016 Issue 2016/39 Language Italian
Pages 16 P. 83-98 File size 113 KB
DOI 10.3280/QPC2016-039006
DOI is like a bar code for intellectual property: to have more infomation click here

Below, you can see the article first page

If you want to buy this article in PDF format, you can do it, following the instructions to buy download credits

Article preview

FrancoAngeli is member of Publishers International Linking Association, Inc (PILA), a not-for-profit association which run the CrossRef service enabling links to and from online scholarly content.

In the last few years, the use of mindfulness for the treatment of psychological problems in childhood and adolescence has significantly increased: both in externalising and in internalising disorders teaching kids to let go of their mental contents, whether they be depressive, anxious or aggressive thoughts, proves to be effective. Particularly, a mindful disposition is correlated with lower levels of psychopathology, when compared to adolescents with high dispositional mindfulness. Moreover, there is some encouraging data for the treatment of mental disorders in this age range. Nevertheless, the available research data denote the need for ongoing research that adheres to more rigorous study designs, besides the increase in the number of studies, in order to enhance the evaluation of mindfulness practices for adolescents. Regarding the adaptation of practices, it is useful to propose a variety of different exercises, in order to avoid boredom and disengagement. In addition, some practices should be tailor-made for this age group, such as the mindful use of one’s smartphone, or mindful listening to music. The duration of each practice should also adapted, by reducing the length to approximately ten minutes, depending on the case. The acquisition of mindfulness skills seems to be a core competence for adolescents, in order to better manage impulsivity, modulate emotions, reduce opposition to unwanted negative emotions, increase their acceptance, and at the same time increase the capacity of experiencing and noticing positive emotions. Mindfulness practices could represent an innovative and effective element to manage and reduce both externalising and internalising symptomatology in adolescence.

Keywords: Mindfulness, adolescents, adaptation of practices

  1. Achenbach T.M. (1991). Manual for the Youth Self-Report and 1991 profile. Burlington: University of Vermont, Department of Psychiatry.
  2. Achenbach T.M., Edelbrock C. (1987). Manual for the youth self-report and profile. Burlington, VT: University of Vermont Department of Psychiatry.
  3. Achenbach T.M., McConaughy S.H. (1997). Empirically based assessment of child and adolescent psychopathology: practical implications. Thousand Oaks: Sage.
  4. Ames C.S., Richardson J., Payne S., Smith P., Leigh E. (2014). Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression in adolescents. Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 19(1): 74-78.
  5. Andersen S.L., Teicher M.H. (2008). Stress, sensitive periods and maturational events in adolescent depression. Trends in Neurosciences, 32: 183-191.
  6. Auerbach R.P., Webb C.A., Stewart J.G. (2016). Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Depressed Adolescents: A Practical Guide to Management and Treatment. Routledge.
  7. Baer R.A. (2003). Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention: A conceptual and empirical review. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 10: 125-143.
  8. Barcaccia B. (2016). La mindfulness per il trattamento del disturbo ossessivo-compulsivo. In: Mancini F., a cura di, La mente ossessiva. Milano: Raffaello Cortina, pp. 347-370.
  9. Burke C.A. (2010). Mindfulness-based approaches with children and adolescents: A preliminary review of current research in an emergent field. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 19(2): 133-144.
  10. Garnefski N., Kraaij V., van Etten M. (2005). Specificity of relations between adolescents’ cognitive emotion regulation strategies and internalizing and externalizing psychopathology. Journal of Adolescence, 28(5): 619-631.
  11. Germer C.K., Siegel R.D., Fulton P.R., editors (2013). Mindfulness and psychotherapy. New York: Guilford Press.
  12. Goodman, T. A. (2005). Working with children. Mindfulness and Psychotherapy. New York: The Guilford Press, pp. 197-219.
  13. Goyal M., Singh S., Sibinga E.M., Gould N.F., Rowland-Seymour A., Sharma R., Ranasinghe P.D. (2014). Meditation programs for psychological stress and wellbeing: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Internal Medicine, 174(3): 357-368.
  14. Greco L.A., Blackledge J.T., Coyne L.W., Ehrenreich J. (2005). Integrating Acceptance and mindfulness into treatments for child and adolescent anxiety disorders. In: Orsillo S.M., Roemer L., editors, Acceptance-and mindfulnessbased approaches to anxiety: Conceptualization and treatment. Springer Science & Business Media, pp. 301-322.
  15. Gunaratana H. (1991). Mindfulness in plain english (trad. it.: La pratica della consapevolezza. Roma: Ubaldini, 1995).
  16. Hayes S.C., Strosahl K.D., Wilson K.G. (1999). Acceptance and commitment therapy: An experiential approach to behavior change. New York: Guilford Press.
  17. Hayes S., Greco L. (2008). Acceptance and mindfulness for youth: It’s time. Acceptance and mindfulness treatments for children & adolescents: A practitioner’s guide.Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications, pp. 3-13.
  18. Kabat-Zinn J. (1982). An outpatient program in behavioral medicine for chronic pain patients based on the practice of mindfulness meditation: Theoretical considerations and preliminary results. General Hospital Psychiatry, 4: 33-47.
  19. Kabat-Zinn J. (2003). Mindfulness-based interventions in context: past, present, and future. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 10(2): 144-156.
  20. Kabat-Zinn J. (2011), Foreword. In: McCown D., Reibel D., Micozzi M.S., editors, Teaching mindfulness: A practical guide for clinicians and educators. New York: Springer, pp. IX-XXII.
  21. Kallapiran K., Koo S., Kirubakaran R., Hancock K. (2015). Review: Effectiveness of mindfulness in improving mental health symptoms of children and adolescents: a meta?analysis. Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 20(4): 182-194.
  22. Kenny M.A., Williams J.M.G. (2007). Treatment-resistant depressed patients show a good response to mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 45(3): 617-625.
  23. Kim-Cohen J., Caspi A., Moffitt T.E., Harrington H., Milne B.J., Poulton R. (2003). Prior juvenile diagnoses in adults with mental disorder: developmental followback of a prospective-longitudinal cohort. Archives of General Psychiatry, 60(7): 709-717.
  24. Kim B., Lee S.H., Kim Y.W., Choi T.K., Yook K., Suh S.Y., Yook K.H. (2010). Effectiveness of a mindfulness-based cognitive therapy program as an adjunct to pharmacotherapy in patients with panic disorder. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 24(6): 590-595.
  25. Kornfield J. (2008). A path with heart. The classic guide through the perils and promises of spiritual life. London: Random House.
  26. Laws K.R. (2013). Negativland-a home for all findings in psychology. BMC Psychology, 1(1): 1. DOI: 10.1186/2050-7283-1-
  27. Linehan M.M., Cochran B.N., Kehrer C.A. (2001). Dialectical behavior therapy for borderline personality disorder. Clinical Handbook of Psychological Disorders: A Step-by-Step Treatment Manual, 3: 470-522.
  28. MacPherson H.A., Cheavens J.S., Fristad M.A. (2013). Dialectical behavior therapy for adolescents: theory, treatment adaptations, and empirical outcomes. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 16(1): 59-80.
  29. Marks A.D., Sobanski D.J., Hine D.W. (2010). Do dispositional rumination and/or mindfulness moderate the relationship between life hassles and psychological dysfunction in adolescents? Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 44(9): 831-838. DOI: 10.3109/00048674.2010.48747
  30. Marlatt G.A., Kristeller J.L. (1999). Mindfulness and meditation. In: Miller W.R. editor, Integrating spirituality into treatment. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, pp. 67-84.
  31. Martel M.M. (2013). Sexual selection and sex differences in the prevalence of childhood externalizing and adolescent internalizing disorders. Psychological Bulletin, 139(6): 1221.
  32. McCabe K.M., Lansing A.E., Garland A.N.N., Hough R. (2002). Gender differences in psychopathology, functional impairment, and familial risk factors among adjudicated delinquents. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 41(7): 860-867. DOI: 10.1097/00004583-200207000-0002
  33. McConaughy S.H., Stanger C., Achenbach T.M. (1992). Three-year course of behavioral/emotional problems in a national sample of 4-16-year-olds. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 31: 932-940.
  34. Pepping C.A., Duvenage M., Cronin T.J., Lyons A. (2016). Adolescent mindfulness and psychopathology: The role of emotion regulation. Personality and Individual Differences, 99: 302-307.
  35. Perry-Parrish C., Copeland-Linder N., Webb L., Sibinga E.M. (2016). Mindfulness-Based Approaches for Children and Youth. Current Problems in Pediatric and Adolescent Health Care, 46(6): 172-178.
  36. Saunders D.C. (2015). Being mindful of mindfulness: Past, present, and future of mindfulness in child and adolescent psychiatry. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 54(6): 437-439.
  37. Semple R.J., Lee J. (2014). Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Children (pp.161-188). In: Baer R., editor, Mindfulness-based treatment approaches: Clinician’s guide to evidence base and applications. San Diego, CA: Academic Press, pp. 161-188.
  38. Shapiro S.L., Carlson L.E., Astin J.A., Freedman B. (2006). Mechanisms of mindfulness. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 62(3): 373-386.
  39. Statz A. (2015). Effectiveness of MBSR and MBCT in Reducing Clinical Symptoms in Adolescents. Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers, 525. -- Available at http://sophia.stkate.edu/msw_papers/525
  40. Thompson M., Gauntlett-Gilbert J. (2008). Mindfulness with children and adolescents: Effective clinical application. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 13(3): 395-407. DOI: 10.1177/135910450809060
  41. Wagner E.E., Rathus J.H., Miller A.L. (2006). Mindfulness in dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) for adolescents. In: Baer R.A., editor, Mindfulness-based treatment approaches: Clinician’s guide to evidence base and applications. San Diego, CA: Elsevier Academic Press, pp. 167-189.
  42. Witkiewitz K., Bowen S., Douglas H., Hsu S.H. (2013). Mindfulness-based relapse prevention for substance craving. Addictive Behaviors, 38.
  43. Yook K., Lee S.H., Ryu M., Kim K.H., Choi T.K., Suh S.Y., Kim M.J. (2008). Usefulness of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for treating insomnia in patients with anxiety disorders: a pilot study. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 196(6): 501-503.
  44. Zack S., Saekow J., Kelly M., Radke A. (2014). Mindfulness based interventions for youth. Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, 32(1): 44-56.

Barbara Barcaccia, Francesco Mancini, Roberto Baiocco, L’utilizzo della mindfulness con gli adolescenti in "QUADERNI DI PSICOTERAPIA COGNITIVA" 39/2016, pp 83-98, DOI: 10.3280/QPC2016-039006