Mindfulness at schools does not prevent mental health problems

A British study recently found that mindfulness and similar training at schools do not prevent mental health problems in students. Dutch professors call for a more targeted approach aimed at pupils who already feel uncomfortable in their skins, Trouw reports.

The University of Oxford researchers studied 84 secondary schools and over 8,000 pupils aged 11 to 13. They found that mindfulness did not reduce the number of pupils who felt depressed or anxious the following year. Children who were already struggling felt even worse afterward, the researchers found. That is consistent with previous findings that low-threshold prevention programs make children more aware of their psychological distress but offer little support.

The British researchers added that the target group might simply be too young to benefit from mindfulness. The training requires a lot of self-reflection, which pupils deeper into their teenage years may be more capable of.

“Extensive British research now shows that mindfulness has no effect at all. And that probably also applies to similar training,” psychology professor Pim Cuijpers said to the newspaper. He sees little value in most prevention programs that include all school pupils, hoping that some will benefit from it in the long run. According to him, professional literature shows that focusing on children who already have problems is more effective.

Child psychiatrist Professor Arne Popma agrees that it may be more effective to first screen the class for teenagers who can benefit from extra mental health support. But he added: “Explanation about mental health, shame, and stigmatization can happen for the entire group.”

Cuipjers also said it is important to avoid stigmatization. “This can be done through what we call indirect prevention, a new trend in which you do not tackle the psychological problems, but the everyday problems. Think of sleep issues, perfectionism, procrastination, and worrying. These are often harbingers of anxiety disorders and depression. For example, if you teach the worriers to better recognize and redirect negative thoughts, they run less risk of depression.”