Mindfulness Through Storytelling for Mental Health of Primary School Children: Impact on Acceptability and Its Associations with Personality.
Alessio Matiz, Franco Fabbro, Cristiano Crescentini
Psychology research and behavior management January 1, 2024 DOI: 10.2147/PRBM.S441494 via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractA storytelling-based mindfulness program for children in grades 3 to 5 showed moderate acceptability, with an average rating of 2.9 out of 4. Children with higher persistence, cooperativeness, and self-transcendence traits liked the program more, found it useful, and engaged more. Over half (57.8%) used mindfulness practices in daily life, and 93.9% would recommend it. Children reported learning about emotional and physical difficulties, calm and relaxation, resilience, self-exploration, and attention. Acceptability was higher than similar programs, and certain personality traits may help tailor such interventions for better outcomes.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 147 |
| Population | Italian children in grades 3-to-5 |
| Dose | 225 minutes of formal mindfulness practices across 24 sessions |
| Duration | 24 sessions, including 225 minutes of formal mindfulness practices |
| Keywords | Children Mental health Mindfulness training Personality Storytelling |
| Citations | 4 |
| Key finding | Program acceptability averaged 2.9 out of 4, and children with higher persistence, cooperativeness, and self-transcendence reported higher liking, usefulness, and engagement. |
Abstract
Acceptability of mindfulness-based programs (MBPs) in primary school settings seems to represent a critical factor influencing the intervention effects on children's mental health. This study aims at assessing the acceptability of an MBP delivered through the technique of storytelling, as well as identifying which participants' personality characteristics can influence it. Italian children in grades 3-to-5 (n = 147, 47.6% girls) participated in a 24-session MBP, which included 225 minutes of formal mindfulness practices and was delivered by the pupils' school teachers. Children's personality traits were assessed with the junior Temperament and Character Inventory (jTCI), while their subjective experiences and acceptability of the program were investigated using a survey containing open-ended and closed-ended questions. Program acceptability was 2.9 ± 0.7 on a 0-4 scale. Higher jTCI scores of persistence, cooperativeness, and self-transcendence were related to higher ratings in liking the program, finding it useful and engaging themselves in it. Moreover, 57.8% of the children generalized the mindfulness practices in daily life and 93.9% of them declared they would recommend the program to their friends/parents. Five main themes emerged from children's answers on what they learned: "help for difficulties (emotional, mental, and physical)", "calm, relax, tranquility", "resilience, positiveness, personal growth", "self-exploration, interoception", and "attention, concentration, and here-and-now". Program acceptability was generally higher than in similar programs in the literature, and children reported personal gains in various areas related to psychological well-being. The study also suggests which children's personality traits should be considered when proposing an MBP in order to improve its acceptability and utility.