Mindfulness Apps Benefit Children's Mental Health

Today's stressful circumstances can hurt the mental health of both adults and children. Previous research from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) indicated that incorporating mindfulness- the practice of focusing on the present moment- in schools could help children by increasing academic performance and reducing stress. A new study has discovered that remote mindfulness practice via an app can also benefit childrens mental health. When the COVID-19 outbreak began in 2020, sending millions of youngsters home from school, a group of MIT researchers began researching whether remote, app-based mindfulness practices could provide benefits comparable to in-person intervention at schools.

Efficacy of App-based Mindfulness for Kids

According to MIT News, they conducted a study in 2020 and 2021 that revealed that children who used a mindfulness app at home for 40 days experienced improvements in mental health, as well as a reduction in stress and feelings of loneliness (1^✔ ✔Trusted Source
At-Home use of App-Based Mindfulness for Children: A Randomized Active-Controlled Trial

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The findings, published in the journal Mindfulness, suggest that remote, app-based mindfulness meditation could reach a larger population. "There is growing and compelling scientific evidence that mindfulness can support mental well-being and promote mental health in a diverse range of children and adults," said senior author John Gabrieli in a press release distributed by MIT News.

Empowering Children with Mindfulness to Shield Against COVID-19 Stress

Another study published in PLOS One found that children who demonstrated higher levels of mindfulness were more emotionally robust to the negative effects of COVID-19 (2^✔ ✔Trusted Source
The mechanism and effectiveness of mindfulness-based intervention for reducing the psychological distress of parents of children with autism spectrum disorder: A protocol of randomized control trial of ecological momentary intervention and assessment

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Mindfulness can help you respond to and interpret information. "To some extent, the impact of Covid is out of your control as an individual, but your ability to respond to and interpret it may be something that mindfulness can help with," said lead author Isaac Treves in a release. Mindfulness meditation can also aid in the reduction of fear-based reactions and ideas.

The new study's findings confirmed this, revealing that after eight weeks of remote, app-based mindfulness meditation, children exhibited more significant declines in anger and despair. The app-based mindfulness exercise also allows youngsters to set their own pace and have more control over how they engage with mindfulness.

References:

1. At-Home use of App-Based Mindfulness for Children: A Randomized Active-Controlled Trial - (https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12671-023-02231-3)
2. The mechanism and effectiveness of mindfulness-based intervention for reducing the psychological distress of parents of children with autism spectrum disorder: A protocol of randomized control trial of ecological momentary intervention and assessment - (https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0291168)

Source-Medindia