Hair cortisol reduction and social integration enhancement after a mindfulness-based intervention in children.
Child Care Health Dev
; 49(1): 73-79, 2023 01.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-35312189
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Over recent decades, chronic stress at an early age has become a worrying health problem in children. We seek to evaluate an intervention involving mindfulness-based practices and prosocial activities in 7- to 8-year-old children.METHODS:
Stress levels were determined using hair cortisol concentration (HCC), and social integration was measured by means of a sociogram. The program had previously proven to be effective in decreasing salivary cortisol levels and in favouring social integration in children. A total of 35 children participated in the study 18 constituted the intervention group and 17 the wait-list group. In both groups, HCC and social integration were evaluated before and after the intervention conducted throughout an entire school year.RESULTS:
The experimental group showed a significant reduction in HCC, as well as significant enhancement of social integration levels, whereas no changes were observed in the wait-list group.CONCLUSIONS:
This is the first research to show that HCC, a reliable neuroendocrine indicator, decreased as a result of a mindfulness-based program. This successful outcome adds new evidence to previous findings regarding the reduction of chronic stress in children following participation in this program.Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Atención Plena
Límite:
Child
/
Humans
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Child Care Health Dev
Año:
2023
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Argentina