Mindfulness program aims to reduce anxiety-driven talks among girls
Researchers at Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences are studying whether a mindfulness-based friendship program can improve girls’ mental health by reducing repeated conversations that reinforce worries rather than solve problems. The program will now expand to primary schools after early results showed that participants started viewing their coping habits differently, NU.nl reports.
The study is examining 320 girls to determine whether their tendency to "co-ruminate"—repeatedly discussing problems with close friends while seeking reassurance—can be reduced. The program will also be tested among a larger group of primary school girls next year.
“Worldwide, a lot of research has already been done into risk factors in girls’ social relationships, such as being bullied. We are looking instead at the role of very good relationships,” Patricia Vuijk, a lecturer specializing in girls and mental well-being, told NU.nl.
Researchers say talking about feelings can be helpful, but excessive discussion of negative emotions can sometimes worsen mental health problems. Earlier research found that 43 percent of girls in secondary education experience emotional problems, while suicide among teenage girls has more than doubled over the past 20 years.
Vuijk described co-rumination as “relief without a solution.” She said that although girls may feel supported during these conversations, their bodies can respond as if they are under threat. “On a physiological level, a girl becomes more stressed from such conversations. The body experiences worrying together as threatening,” Vuijk said.
According to the researcher, heart rates increase and the nervous system remains alert. The brain’s deeply rooted expectations about the world, known as priors, can become stronger. She identified three common beliefs that may be reinforced: “the world is unsafe,” “real connection is not automatic,” and “I am not good enough.”
Girls often continue these conversations because they do not recognize the physical stress signals, Vuijk said. They feel safe with a close friend and receive emotional support, making them believe the conversations are helping.
“But overall, they do not,” she told the newspaper. “These are two opposing forces happening inside a girl’s body. It is very intense.”
The program consists of 14 lessons that girls complete in pairs with a friend. Mindfulness is a central part of the training, but researchers have also incorporated ideas from neuroscience into practical exercises designed to change expectations and reduce the urge to repeatedly discuss problems.
Each session introduces a familiar topic, such as stress caused by social media. Instead of immediately discussing their problems, girls are taught to first calm their bodies before reflecting or talking. Exercises include controlled breathing, placing a hand on the heart, gently pressing feet into the ground, smiling, and lightly touching an arm.
Vuijk acknowledged that introducing mindfulness to teenage girls can be challenging, especially when they are with their closest friends and may worry about appearing unusual. “Some girls are indeed hesitant at first,” she said. “I trained a pair that I think may even have been a little cynical.”
“When I said we were starting an exercise, they pulled their hoodies over their heads. But at one point they still placed their hands on their stomachs to follow their breathing.”
