Effects of a mindfulness-based groupwork program on adolescents in a children's home


Atak I., ARTAN T.

SOCIAL WORK IN HEALTH CARE, vol.63, no.3, pp.168-187, 2024 (SSCI) identifier identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 63 Issue: 3
  • Publication Date: 2024
  • Doi Number: 10.1080/00981389.2024.2302631
  • Journal Name: SOCIAL WORK IN HEALTH CARE
  • Journal Indexes: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, ASSIA, IBZ Online, Abstracts in Social Gerontology, AgeLine, CINAHL, Educational research abstracts (ERA), Psycinfo, Social services abstracts, Sociological abstracts
  • Page Numbers: pp.168-187
  • Azerbaijan State University of Economics (UNEC) Affiliated: No

Abstract

Mindfulness means being in the present, intentionally and without any judgment. Mindfulness helps people cope with challenging experiences such as trauma. Children's Homes in Turkiye are institutions that provide social care to young people with past traumatic experiences. This study aims at evaluating the effects of a mindfulness-based (MB) groupwork program with a group of residents in a Children's Home. An experimental pretest-posttest control group design was used. An eightsession MB training program was implemented with 21 female adolescents. There were 29 female adolescents in the control group. The MB groupwork program significantly increased the mindfulness levels of the group. However, its effect on the other variables could not be determined at a significant level. There were positive correlations between mindfulness, life satisfaction and subjective happiness, and a negative correlation with perceived stress. The results of this study showed that MB interventions increase mindfulness levels of adolescents in a Children's Home setting in Turkiye. Secondly, as mindfulness increased, life satisfaction and subjective happiness also increased while perceived stress decreased. MB interventions are recommended to be used in social work interventions with different groups since it can contribute to subjective wellbeing.