Off the mat: Piloting a mindfulness based curriculum with adolescents in East Harlem

Stress is known to contribute to physical and mental health morbidity. Research in adults suggests that mindfulness-based practices (MBP) can reduce stress and improve physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Data on the effects of MBP in youth, however, is limited. Hypothesis: Teaching MBP to adolescents will reduce stress and improve coping ability. Methods: Ten weekly sessions were held, each including a discussion about a mindfulness-based theme, yoga, meditation, healthful snacks, and a health question and answer session. The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) was administered pre and post-intervention to measure self-reported stress. Participants also completed pre/post-surveys about their attitudes toward doctors as well as a program evaluation. Paired ttests were used to analyze responses. Results: Fourteen female participants ages 12-17 enrolled with 100% completing all surveys. The pre and post-intervention mean PSS-10 scores were 28.9 and 25.6 respectively (p=0.053). Participants' feelings of nervousness and stress decreased (p = 0.027), confidence in ability to handle personal problems increased (p = 0.048), and ability to control irritations increased (p=0.029). On a scale with 1=disagree a lot and 5=agree a lot, 100% of participants agreed that the program was of value to them (mean 4.9). Conclusions: A MBP curriculum may increase coping ability and decrease feelings of stress in high-risk urban adolescents. Larger studies are needed to confirm these findings and to determine whether these changes will ultimately impact adolescent behaviors.