Mindfulness exercises curb youth urban violence

June 7, 2016   |   Evidence in Integrative Healthcare

A recent RCT at two Baltimore City Public Schools found that that mindfulness exercises (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction or MBSR) with 300 at-risk, urban youths in grades 5-8 demonstrated good outcomes for decreased depression, less negative coping and rumination, less self-hostility, decreased PTSD and better socialization skills.

If you work with patients in this age group facing negative stressors such as “community violence, multigenerational poverty, failing educational systems, substance use, limited avenues for success, health risks, and trauma”, recommending mindfulness activities and/or classes to your patients may have a positive impact on their wellbeing.

For more information on the history of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program, please visit the Center for Mindfulness at UMass Medical school website at http://www.umassmed.edu/cfm/stress-reduction/history-of-mbsr/.