URBANA, Ill. – Educational programs that promote mental and physical health can help young people – particularly in environments of chronic stress and trauma exposure – learn healthy coping strategies, avoid risky behaviors, and succeed in school. A new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign shows that a school-based mindfulness program is beneficial for Black high school students in urban communities.
“These are low cost, highly scalable, and highly sustainable programs that teach important skills and impact students’ lives. Getting feedback from minoritized youth in under-resourced communities is important to ensure that interventions are appropriate and effective,” said lead author Jacinda K. Dariotis, professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies and director of the Family Resiliency Center, both part of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES). She is also Health Innovation Professor in the Carle Illinois College of Medicine at the U. of I.
“Research shows that youth who have dysregulation of behavior and emotion are most likely to engage in risky behaviors later, sometimes including substance abuse. The mechanisms that regulate the stress physiological system are affected by trauma, adversity, poverty, and structural factors, such as racism and other forms of discrimination. We conducted this work in the city of Baltimore, which has one of the highest rates of child trauma in the country,” said study co-author Diana Fishbein, director of Translational Neuro-Prevention Research in the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.
The researchers compared the effects of two school-based programs designed to promote healthy development and decision-making, a mindfulness program based on meditation and breathing practices and a health program focused on nutrition and healthy behaviors. Each program was delivered four times per week during the school day over approximately 8 weeks.
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