How the 90-person trial was structured#
The study randomly assigned 90 adolescents ages 11 to 19, all of whom sought care at the center for depression, anxiety disorders or ADHD, to one of three groups across 24 therapy sessions, Medical Xpress reports.medicalxpress.com 1 source for this line, starting with Medical Xpress
One group began each session with a five- to 10-minute mindfulness exercise, such as breathing exercises, a body scan or mindful walking. A second group did relaxation exercises of the same length, while a third received no standardized session introduction, according to Medical Xpress.medicalxpress.com 1 source for this line, starting with Medical Xpress
Mindfulness itself is described on Wikipedia as the cognitive skill of sustaining awareness of each passing instant, encompassing bodily sensations, feelings, thoughts and surroundings with a non-judgmental attitude, a concept with roots in the Pali word sati from Buddhist tradition.en.wikipedia.org 1 source for this line, starting with Wikipedia
Symptom gains without an edge over relaxation#
Adolescents in the mindfulness group showed a greater reduction in psychological symptoms than those who received psychotherapy without any standardized session opener, Medical Xpress reports. Patients in the mindfulness group also reported a greater improvement in their therapeutic alliance, the relationship between patient and therapist.medicalxpress.com 1 source for this line, starting with Medical Xpress
The researchers found no significant difference between the mindfulness and relaxation groups in how much symptoms improved, according to Medical Xpress.medicalxpress.com 1 source for this line, starting with Medical Xpress
A separate look at survivors who skip mindfulness#
A different qualitative study of 19 adolescent and young adult cancer survivors, conducted by Shannon P. Cheung of Rutgers University's School of Social Work with colleagues at the Hackensack Meridian Health Center for Discovery and Innovation, found that many had been introduced to mindfulness by treatment teams but only four kept using it on their own, Bioengineer.org reports.bioengineer.org+1 2 sources for this line, starting with Bioengineer.org
Participants in that study, who ranged from 22 to 35 years old and were one to 28 years post-treatment, instead leaned on exercise and relied on family and friends for support and accountability, according to the Frontiers-published research.bioengineer.org+1 2 sources for this line, starting with Bioengineer.org
