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Mindfulness-based intervention and aggression and rule-breaking behaviours in elementary school boys: a proof of concept trial

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2021

Maedeh Heidary Open the ORCID record for Maedeh Heidary [Opens in a new window] ,
Touraj Hashemi Nosrat Abad  and
Wolfgang Linden
Maedeh Heidary*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Faculty of Education & Psychology, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran
Touraj Hashemi Nosrat Abad
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Faculty of Education & Psychology, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran
Wolfgang Linden
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
*
*Corresponding author. Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

This study investigated the effect of a mindfulness-based intervention on pathological symptoms in boys with externalised disorders. A total of 24 elementary school students with externalising disorders, diagnosed by completing the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), were randomly assigned to a mindfulness-based intervention for two months. One session per week was offered and each session lasted one hour (n = 12) or as a wait-list control group (n = 12). Data were analysed via a multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) test. Students from the intervention group showed greater reductions in rule-breaking behaviours than those in the wait-list control group. Also, there was clear superiority of the intervention relative to the wait-list control group for reducing both aggression and rule-breaking behaviours (effect size differences were d = −2.52 and d = −1.88 respectively). These positive results on outcome measures provide initial evidence for a mindfulness-based intervention as a treatment option for boys with externalising disorders.

Keywords

mindfulness-based interventionexternalising disorderaggressionrule-breakingelementary school students
Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Psychologists and Counsellors in Schools , Volume 32 , Issue 1 , June 2022 , pp. 15 - 22
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Copyright
© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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