Implementing twelve-weeks of loving-kindness meditation and mindfulness of breathing for adolescents with nonsuicidal self-injury and their parents: a mixed method pilot study.
BMC psychology July 23, 2025 Pei Liu, Buddahavamsa Yang Li, Juan Liu et al. 1 citation
A twelve-week program combining loving-kindness meditation and mindfulness of breathing appears feasible for adolescents who engage in nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) and their parents. Among 28 adolescents, NSSI behavior decreased significantly at the end of the program and at a three-month follow-up, and depressive symptoms decreased significantly at three months. Parents reported improved emotion regulation and parenting attitudes, and both adolescents and parents perceived better parent-child relationships. Satisfaction with the intervention was high (4.27 out of 5), and adolescent dropout was modest (14.2%), though parent dropout was 33%. Qualitative feedback indicated positive attitudes but challenges in sustaining practice. A larger randomized controlled trial is needed to confirm effectiveness.