Major study will see 6,000 young people take part in ‘mindfulness’ trial

By The Press Association15th July 2015News EnglandMental Health, Mindfulness, News England, Research, Young People / Youth Work, Youth Work

A major new study will see nearly 6,000 schoolchildren take part in a trial to test whether mindfulness training can improve their mental health.

Mindfulness – described by the NHS as paying more attention to the present moment and to your thoughts, feelings and the world around you – has become a popular and effective technique in preventing depression and promoting mental health in adults.

The three-part study includes the first large randomised control trial of mindfulness training compared with “teaching as usual”, and will involve students aged 11 to 14 at 76 schools.

It aims to build young people’s resilience to see if this will help prevent mental illness developing.

Researchers pointed out that teenage years are a vulnerable time in terms of onset of mental illness, with three quarters (75%) of mental disorders beginning before the age of 24 and half by 15.

They explained that the programme of research is based on the theory that, just as physical training is associated with improved physical health, psychological resilience training is linked to better mental health.

By promoting good mental health and intervening early in crucial teenage years, researchers are seeking to understand whether they can build young people’s resilience and help to prevent mental illness developing.

They will also look at whether it has an effect on things like social relationships, school attendance and academic achievement.

The £6.4 million research programme will be carried out by teams at the University of Oxford, University College London and the Medical Research Council (MRC) Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, in collaboration with the University of Exeter, over seven years.

The trial will see 38 schools train pupils in mindfulness and 38 schools act as a “control”, teaching standard personal, health and social education lessons.

The trial is expected to begin late next year and will run for five years, including a follow-up period of two years for each student.

Willem Kuyken, professor in clinical psychology at the University of Oxford, said: “Mindfulness is a form of ‘mind exercise’ as it’s a way that we can improve our mental health.

“Just as brushing your teeth or going for a run are well known ways of protecting general physical health, mindfulness exercises develop mental fitness and resilience.

“What this project is trying to establish is whether teaching teenagers mindfulness techniques can improve their attention and resilience, two key skills for maintaining good mental health.

“We are interested in the full range of outcomes, including social relationships, school attendance and attainment, as well at teacher well-being and school culture.”