Effects of a Mindfulness Group on Latino Adolescent Students: Examining Levels of Perceived Stress, Mindfulness, Self-Compassion, and Psychological Symptoms

• Published in: The Journal for specialists in group work Vol. 39; no. 2; pp. 145 - 163
• Main Authors: Edwards, Michelle, Adams, Eve M., Waldo, Michael, Hadfield, O. D., Biegel, Gina M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington Routledge 03.04.2014; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Adolescents; Anxiety; Anxiety-Depression; Attention Control; Awareness; Beck Depression Inventory; Consciousness; Depression (Psychology); Depressive Experiences Questionnaire; Group Activities; Groups; Hispanic American Students; Hispanic Americans; Hostility; Intervention; Junior High School Students; Latin American people; Latino; Mental depression; Metacognition; Middle School Students; mindfulness; Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory; Perception; Pretests Posttests; Program Effectiveness; Psychological Distress; Quasiexperimental Design; Questionnaires; Relaxation Training; Rural Schools; Self compassion; Skill Development; State Trait Anxiety Inventory (Spielberger); Stress; Stress Management; Students; Teenagers; United States (Southwest)
• ISSN: 0193-3922; 1549-6295
• DOI: 10.1080/01933922.2014.891683

This pilot study evaluated the impact of mindfulness groups on 20 Latino middle school students who participated in 8-session structured groups using the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Teens curriculum. The participants' scores on the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale; the Self-Compassion Scale; the Perceived Stress Scale; and the Depression, Anxiety, and Hostility subscales of the Symptom Check List-90-R were examined at 3 points in time. There were no significant changes during the baseline period. Following participation in the groups, the adolescents' mindfulness and self-compassion scores significantly increased, and their perceived stress and depression significantly decreased.