Mindfulness studies find little benefit to all pupils

There is little evidence that teaching all school pupils mindfulness improves their overall resilience and mental health, studies have found.

But while a "one-size fits all" approach may not work, mindfulness may have benefits for some pupils.

Those are some of the key findings of a series of just-published and linked studies into mindfulness training.

Pupils and teachers in four post-primary schools in NI were among 84 UK schools to take part in the research.

The results of the My Resilience in Adolescence (MYRIAD) trials have been published in the journal Evidence-Based Mental Health.

They were carried out by experts from Oxford University, Cambridge University, University College London, King's College London and a number of other institutions.

Mindfulness has become popular in recent years as a way of combating stress, anxiety and depression.

It is a meditation technique often used to help some pupils improve their wellbeing and mental health.

While the studies said "preventing mental health problems in early adolescence is a priority", they questioned whether teaching mindfulness to all pupils was the best way to do that.

"Mental health problems commonly have their first onset in adolescence, which is a period of heightened vulnerability associated with reduced attentional, emotional and behavioural regulation in the face of growing demands," the research said.

Schools in Northern Ireland have recently reported greater numbers of pupils with mental health issues, some related to lockdown.

There has also been a significant rise in young people in mental health crisis seeking help at hospital during the coronavirus pandemic.

However, a randomised control trial in the MYRIAD study found "no evidence" that mindfulness training for all pupils in schools was more effective than other ways of teaching them to manage their mental health.

About half of the schools which took part in the trials taught pupils about mindfulness in a series of dedicated lessons, including two in Northern Ireland.

The other two schools in Northern Ireland were in the other half, who continued teaching pupils about mental health and wellbeing in the way they had previously done.

The MYRIAD trials suggest the overall evidence for the effectiveness of "universal" mindfulness training in schools was weak.

They said there was, however, evidence that it may benefit older teenagers rather than those in their early teenage years and that there could be short-term benefits for things like attention and self-control.

But young people with specific mental health needs needed more targeted help.

Dr Tim Dalgleish, from the cognition and brain sciences unit at Cambridge University, was one of the lead researchers.

"Mindfulness doesn't work as a one-size fits all intervention," he told BBC News NI.

"But mindfulness may benefit older children rather than younger children and that's something we need to follow up.

"There are still some benefits to a school doing mindfulness, but the evidence for a universal roll-out to all pupils isn't very compelling."

The studies did suggest there may be reduced levels of "burn-out" for teachers who taught mindfulness classes.

Those teachers also reported that mindfulness led to improvements in school life in general, including better relationships with pupils and other staff.

Another paper in the series into the prevention of depression in schools also suggested that one-size fits all or "universal" programmes to prevent depression are "probably not effective" either.

"We seriously have to consider that universal prevention of mental health problems in schools is not effective," it said.

"The idea of teaching young people skills that they can use when they will develop mental health problems may simply not work."

Evidence-Based Mental Health is a journal covering research in mental health and psychiatry.

It is co-owned by the Royal College of Psychiatrists, the British Psychological Society and the British Medical Journal (BMJ).

In a statement accompanying the research, Dr Elaine Lockhart, from the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said mindfulness could help in managing emotions, "but it won't be enough for those children and young people who need support with their mental wellbeing, especially in the aftermath of the pandemic".

"They will need a full range of services to meet their mental health needs, and getting help early is absolutely key in preventing mental health problems from developing or escalating in adulthood," she said.