Relating mindfulness and executive function in children

Abstract

Despite the important role of cognitions in mindful awareness, research on the cognitive processes underlying mindfulness in young populations is scarce. This study explores the association between the core executive functions (i.e. inhibition, working memory, and shifting) and mindfulness within the same model in a sample of children. Seventy-two parent–child dyads participated in the study. Difficulties with executive functioning and child mindfulness level were assessed. Inhibition, working memory, and shifting were significantly correlated with mindfulness. Furthermore, moderate to good fit was found in a model testing the association between mindfulness and the latent executive function variable composed by the three executive functions, and individual executive functions demonstrated significant loadings in relation to the latent variable. In a model relating mindfulness to each individual executive function, mindfulness was uniquely associated with inhibition, working memory, and shifting. The application of current theoretical models of mindfulness to child populations and clinical implications are discussed.

Clinical Application of Mindfulness-Oriented Meditation: A Preliminary Study in Children with ADHD

“…Although the study was limited in that it used survey data, it reported a negative correlation between mindfulness and difficulties with inhibition, working memory, and shifting, confirming that children who were more mindful were less likely to experience such difficulties. Our results strengthened those correlational findings obtained indirectly by using child and parent ratings [ 42 ]. Indeed, by administering mindfulness training and analyzing its effects on neuropsychological measures that involve executive functions, we directly verified the relationship between mindfulness and executive functions.…”

“…Our tasks involved higher-order cognitive abilities, such as working memory, inhibitory control, switching, and sustained performance. However, there are few data on the association between mindfulness and executive functions [ 79 , 80 , 81 ] in typically developing children [ 42 ] and in children with neurodevelopmental disorders, having been studied primarily in adult populations and adolescents [ 82 , 83 ].…”

“…A recent study [ 42 ] evaluated the relationship between mindfulness and executive functions in typically developing children by correlating child ratings on mindfulness and parent ratings on children’s executive functions. Although the study was limited in that it used survey data, it reported a negative correlation between mindfulness and difficulties with inhibition, working memory, and shifting, confirming that children who were more mindful were less likely to experience such difficulties.…”

“…Researching the efficacy of mindfulness training in children and adolescents is a relatively new domain (see the meta-analyses and systematic reviews [ 29 , 30 , 31 ]). Existing evidence has demonstrated that it has positive effects on psychological well-being [ 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 ], pain management [ 36 ], depressive symptoms and anxiety [ 32 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 ], negative behaviors [ 31 ] and cognitive/executive functions and attention [ 34 , 40 , 41 , 42 ] in children and adolescents.…”

The Effects of School-based Mindfulness Intervention on Executive Functioning in a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial

“…However, even with an increasing number of studies targeting neurocognitive mechanisms in children and adults (Flook et al, 2010;Moore & Malinowski, 2009;Schonert-Reichl et al, 2015), there are currently no studies that have measured the change in EFs after a school-based intervention, combining active control groups, comprehensive neurocognitive measures, and follow-up (Bradshaw et al, 2012;Chiesa & Serretti, 2010;Tan, 2016). Moreover, the number of participants in the majority of studies that explore the core EFs and mindfulness is generally small (N < 100) (Schonert-Reichl et al, 2015;Wimmer, Bellingrath, & Stockhausen, 2016) In correlational studies, researchers have found a significant correlation between state mindfulness and working memory capacity among 12-16-year-old (Natesh, Rajesh, & Nagendra, 2014) and inhibition, working memory, and attention shifting among 7-13-old students (Geronimi, Arellano, & Woodruff-Borden, 2020). So far, only a few intervention studies among children and adolescents focusing on specific EFs and mindfulness-related benefits have been carried out, showing mixed results.…”