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Efficacy of Mindful Art and Eating Interventions in Vermont Elementary School Children
Chmait, Matt R Duksta, Caroline R Ito, Kevin Kirk, Christina Sutherland, Isabella R Welch, Koji Zamanian, Yasamin E
Chmait, Matt R
Duksta, Caroline R
Ito, Kevin
Kirk, Christina
Sutherland, Isabella R
Welch, Koji
Zamanian, Yasamin E
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Background: Anxiety disorders have been shown to comprise a large majority of the mental health disorders among adolescents. (Merikangas et al., 2010). In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has had an exacerbating effect on anxiety in this population. (Wang et. al., 2022). Prior research with adolescents has shown the effectiveness of mindfulness exercises on anxiety reduction in the academic environment (Hofmann et al., 2010). Collaborating with the Milton Family Community Center in Vermont, our team developed the hypothesis that implementing mindfulness exercises into the afterschool program would reduce anxiety indicators in the classroom. Methods: Mindful art and eating interventions were chosen based on their effectiveness in previous studies examining similar developmental age groups. Each intervention was implemented for a two-week period, during which teacher respondents were surveyed using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire at set intervals to gauge their perceptions on classroom performance. Additionally, virtual interviews were conducted and coded to obtain qualitative data and themes from teachers. Results: Our study found no significant changes when surveying staff members regarding classroom performance. However, all teachers reported in the interview that they believed mindfulness exercises generally benefited students and, if implemented for a longer period, they may create a more impactful change. Conclusion: Future studies which implement a longer intervention period and a greater sample size of teachers for reporting classroom performance are needed to further explore the use of mindfulness exercises in mitigating anxiety-related learning difficulties in students.
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2023-01-01
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Milton_Family_Center.pdf
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