For Whom Do School-Based Mindfulness Programs Work? The Role of Personality in Adolescent Intervention Outcomes

Summary

A 6-week school-based mindfulness program for 122 adolescents aged 12–14 did not produce significant average improvements in anxiety, emotion regulation, well-being, mindfulness, psychological distress, or self-compassion compared to a control group. However, adolescents with higher neuroticism and lower extraversion were more likely to show improvements across multiple outcomes, including reduced anxiety and psychological distress and increased well-being and mindfulness. Lower openness also predicted improvement in psychological distress. The findings suggest that the program's benefits are concentrated among adolescents with greater baseline vulnerability, indicating that effectiveness depends on individual personality differences rather than universal effects.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Abstract Objectives School-based mindfulness programs (SBMPs) are increasingly implemented to support adolescent mental health, yet evidence for their effectiveness remains mixed. Recent research suggests that average effects may obscure meaningful variability in outcomes across individuals. The present study aimed to examine both the overall effectiveness of a 6-week SBMP and the role of personality traits in predicting individual differences in intervention outcomes. Method This quasi-experimental study included 122 adolescents aged 12–14 years from 14 school classes, assigned to either an intervention group or a wait-list control group. Outcomes were assessed at pre-intervention, post-intervention, and 3-month follow-up, including anxiety, emotion regulation difficulties, well-being, mindfulness, psychological distress, and self-compassion. Personality traits (neuroticism, extraversion, and openness) were examined as predictors of differential response to the intervention using latent class growth analysis and logistic regression. Results At the group level, the SBMP did not produce significant effects across the examined outcomes compared to the control condition. However, person-centered analyses revealed meaningful heterogeneity in response patterns. Adolescents characterized by higher neuroticism and lower extraversion were more likely to show improvements across multiple domains, including reduced anxiety and psychological distress and increased well-being and mindfulness. Additionally, lower openness predicted improvement in psychological distress. These findings suggest that intervention effects were not uniform but concentrated among adolescents with greater baseline vulnerability. Conclusions These results indicate that the effectiveness of SBMPs may depend less on average effects and more on individual differences in responsiveness. Mindfulness training may be particularly beneficial for adolescents with specific personality profiles associated with higher psychological vulnerability. These results highlight the importance of moving beyond universal approaches toward more targeted implementation of mindfulness-based programs in school settings. Keywords: mindfulness, adolescence, personality, training, SBMPs

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