--- title: "Psych News Alert: School-Based Mindfulness Program May Help Urban Children Deal With Negative Stress" description: Many urban youth are repeatedly exposed to significant negative stressors including violence, poverty, and substance use. A study publis... image: https://alert.psychnews.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/swingset_50403511-Jun-24-2025-06-09-30-2855-PM.jpg --- 12/21/15 12:00 AM # School-Based Mindfulness Program May Help Urban Children Deal With Negative Stress ![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [ Psychiatric News Alert ](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) Share: [facebook-f icon ](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://alert.psychnews.org/2015/12/school-based-mindfulness-program-may.html) [linkedin-in icon ](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://alert.psychnews.org/2015/12/school-based-mindfulness-program-may.html) [Twitter icon ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://alert.psychnews.org/2015/12/school-based-mindfulness-program-may.html) [pinterest-p icon ](http://pinterest.com/pin/create/link/?url=https://alert.psychnews.org/2015/12/school-based-mindfulness-program-may.html) [envelope icon ](mailto:?body=https://alert.psychnews.org/2015/12/school-based-mindfulness-program-may.html) | ![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/swingset_50403511-Jun-24-2025-06-09-29-1786-PM.jpg?width=200&height=132&name=swingset_50403511-Jun-24-2025-06-09-29-1786-PM.jpg) | | | --- | --- | Many urban youth are repeatedly exposed to significant negative stressors including violence, poverty, and substance use. A [study](http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2015/12/16/peds.2015-2532.long) published last week in *Pediatrics* suggests that a school-based mindfulness program may ameliorate some of the effects of these stressors and improve social and behavioral functioning. Researchers from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine randomly assigned 300 middle school students (grades 5 through 8) from two Baltimore City Public Schools to participate in a 12-week mindfulness-based stress-reduction (MBSR) program or a standard health education program covering such topics as nutrition, exercise, and adolescence, during the regular school day. After 12 weeks, the MBSR students reported significantly lower levels of depression, rumination, negative coping, self-hostility, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms than the students who had participated in the health education class. Although the authors noted that additional studies are needed to explore the long-term effects of mindfulness-based programs, “[t]his trial provides convincing evidence that high-quality, school-based MBSR instruction for youth in urban public schools is feasible, acceptable, and leads to improvements in psychological symptoms, coping, and posttraumatic stress symptoms,” they wrote. To read more about the potential value of mindfulness-based care, see the *Psychiatric News* article “[Mindfulness, Relaxed Breathing Can Amplify Good Patient Care](http://psychnews.psychiatryonline.org/doi/full/10.1176/appi.pn.2015.7b25),” by Gary Weinstein, M.D. (Robert Crow/Shutterstock) [PTSD](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/ptsd), [mindfulness](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/mindfulness), [socioeconomic status](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/socioeconomic-status), [childhood depression](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/childhood-depression) ## Related posts [![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/mindfulness_iStock-944619898-Jun-24-2025-10-46-16-8192-PM.jpg?height=200&name=mindfulness_iStock-944619898-Jun-24-2025-10-46-16-8192-PM.jpg) ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2018/09/mindfulness-treatment-effective-for.html) [PTSD](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/ptsd), [veterans](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/veterans), [posttraumatic stress disorder](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/posttraumatic-stress-disorder), [mindfulness](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/mindfulness), [Lori Davis](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/lori-davis), [Psychiatric Research and Clinical Practice](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/psychiatric-research-and-clinical-practice), [present-centered group therapy](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/present-centered-group-therapy), [U.S. military](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/u-s-military) ## [Mindfulness Treatment Effective for Veterans With PTSD, Study Finds](https://alert.psychnews.org/2018/09/mindfulness-treatment-effective-for.html) ![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) 9/13/18 12:00 AM Two complementary treatments—mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and present-centered group... [ Read more ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2018/09/mindfulness-treatment-effective-for.html) [![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/teen_therapist_43003774-Jun-24-2025-09-27-55-0588-PM.jpg?height=200&name=teen_therapist_43003774-Jun-24-2025-09-27-55-0588-PM.jpg) ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2019/12/many-us-counties-have-no-child.html) [pediatrics](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/pediatrics), [access to care](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/access-to-care), [mental health](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/mental-health), [child psychiatrists](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/child-psychiatrists) ## [Many U.S. Counties Have No Child Psychiatrists, Study Finds](https://alert.psychnews.org/2019/12/many-us-counties-have-no-child.html) ![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) 12/27/19 12:00 AM Though the total number of child psychiatrists in the United States increased between 2007 and... [ Read more ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2019/12/many-us-counties-have-no-child.html) [![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/college_student_iStock-846982640-Jun-24-2025-05-32-34-9634-PM.jpg?height=200&name=college_student_iStock-846982640-Jun-24-2025-05-32-34-9634-PM.jpg) ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2018/11/college-students-seeking-mental-health.html) [depression](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/depression), [mental health services](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/mental-health-services), [suicidal ideation](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/suicidal-ideation), [diagnosis](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/diagnosis), [Psychiatric Services](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/psychiatric-services), [Healthy Minds Study](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/healthy-minds-study), [college students](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/college-students) ## [Number of College Students Seeking MH Care Nearly Doubles Over Decade](https://alert.psychnews.org/2018/11/college-students-seeking-mental-health.html) ![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) 11/7/18 12:00 AM Over the past decade, the percentage of students at U.S. college campuses seeking mental health... 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