Pilot Study of Effect of Mindfulness-based Cognitive Group Therapy for Improving Executive Function in Elementary School Children
Main Article Content
Abstract
Objectives : To develop and examine effect of the mindfulness-based group therapy (MBGT)
program in improving executive functioning among elementary school students.
Methods : Fifty-four 4th grade students from 2 classrooms of one public school in Bangkok
were recruited. Twenty-seven students from one classroom were assigned to a MBGT group,
and 27 students from the other classroom were assigned to a control group. The MBGT program
was conducted as a weekly one-hour session for 8 sessions. The main outcome was the
student’s executive function as measured by the teacher-rated executive function scale (EFS-T),
which assesses metacognition, emotional regulation and behavioral regulation. Assessments
were administered at baseline, prior to the intervention, and after completion of the intervention.
Changes in EFS-T scores between intervention and control groups were tested.
Results : Students in the MBGT group demonstrated better improvement in EFS-T scores of
total cognitive function, metacognition, emotional regulation and behavioral regulation
compared with those in the control group. Improvement in EFS-T scores were 9.37 (SD=4.15)
in MBGT group compared with 0.63 (SD=3.50) in control group for metacognition
(p <0.005),12.30 (SD=6.31) in MBGT group compared with 4.25 (SD=5.07) in control group
for emotional regulation (p <0.005), 9.00 (SD=5.80) in MBGT group compared with -0.89
(SD=2.81) in control group for behavioral regulation (p <0.005), and 10.70 (SD=4.65) in MBGT
group compared with 1.59 (SD=3.08) in control group for total score (p <0.005).
Conclusion : MBGT may be an effective school-based intervention that can improve executive
functioning in primary school students.
Article Details
Articles submitted for consideration must not have been previously published or accepted for publication in any other journal, and must not be under review by any other journal.
References
Diamond A. Executive functions. Annu Rev Psychol 2013; 64: 135-68.
Jacobson LA, Williford AP, Pianta RC. The role of executive function in children’s competent adjustment to middle school. Child Neuropsychol 2011; 17: 255-80.
Barkley RA, Grodzinsky G, DuPaul GJ. Frontal lobe functions in attention deficit disorder with and without hyperactivity: A review and research report. J Abnorm Child Psychol 1992; 20: 163-88.
Barkley RA. Behavioral inhibition, sustained attention, and executive functions: constructing a unifying theory of ADHD. Psycho Bull 1997; 121: 65.
Shallice T, Marzocchi GM, Coser S, Del Savio M, Meuter RF, Rumiati RI. Executive function profile of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Dev Neuropsychol 2002; 21: 43-71.
Brown TE, Landgraf JM. Improvements in executive function correlate with enhanced performance and functioning and health-related quality of life: evidence from 2 large, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trials in ADHD. Postgrad Med 2010; 122: 42-51.
Baler RD, Volkow ND. Drug addiction: the neurobiology of disrupted self-control. Trends Mol Med 2006; 12: 559-66.
Denson TF, Pedersen WC, Friese M, Hahm A, Roberts LJP, Bulletin SP. Understanding impulsive aggression: Angry rumination and reduced self-control capacity are mechanisms underlying the provocation-aggression relationship. Pers Soc Psychol Bull 2011; 37: 850-62.
Taylor HG, Clark CA. Executive function in children born preterm: Risk factors and implications for outcome. Seminars in perinatology. Semin Perinatol 2016; 40: 520-9.
Polanczyk G, De Lima MS, Horta BL, Biederman J, Rohde LA. The worldwide prevalence of ADHD: a systematic review and metaregression analysis. Am J Psychiatry 2007; 164: 942-8.
Visanuyothin T, Pavasuthipaisit C, Wachiradilok P, Arunruang P, Buranasuksakul T. The prevalence of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder in Thailand. Journal of Mental Health of Thailand 2013; 21: 66-75.
Siegel LS, Ryan EB. The development of working memory in normally achieving and subtypes of learning disabled children. Child Dev 1989; 60: 973-80.
Barkley RA, McMurray MB, Edelbrock CS, Robbins KJ. Side effects of methylphenidate in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a systemic, placebo-controlled evaluation. Pediatrics 1990; 86: 184-92.
Diamond A, Lee K. Interventions shown to aid executive function development in children 4 to 12 years old. Science 2011; 333(6045): 959-64.
Hölzel BK, Lazar SW, Gard T, Schuman-Olivier Z, Vago DR, Ott UJ. How does mindfulness meditation work? Proposing mechanisms of action from a conceptual and neural perspective. Perspect Psychol Sci 2011; 6: 537-59.
Lu S, Huang C, Rios JJ, Review YS. Mindfulness and academic performance: An example of migrant children in China. Child Youth Serv Rev 2017; 82: 53-9.
Flook L, Smalley SL, Kitil MJ, Galla BM, Kaiser- Greenland S, Locke J, et al. Effects of mindful awareness practices on executive functions in elementary school children. J Appl Sch Psychol 2010; 26: 70-95.
McCloskey LE, Sciences B. Mindfulness as an intervention for improving academic success among students with executive functioning disorders. Procedia Soc Behav Sci 2015; 174: 221-6.
Cairncross M, Miller CJ. The effectiveness of mindfulness-based therapies for ADHD: a meta-analytic review. J Atten Disord (journal on the internet) 2016 Feb 2 [cited 2019 Dec 18]. doi: 10.1177/1087054715625301. (Epub ahead of print)
Anantavorawong S, Narkpongphun A, Health M. The effects of a mindfulness therapy program on core symptoms of children with ADHD disorder. International Journal of Child Developmental and Mental Health 2018; 6: 40-55.
Saengsawang T, Langka W, Utairatanakit D, Semheng S. A development of executive function skills indicators for elementary students. BU Academic Review 2016; 15: 14-28.