Promoting children and parents’ well-being through mindfulness practices : development and implementation of the mindfulness in life (mil) program /

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Student Theses

2025

Natale, Silvia

Thesis

From a positive psychological perspective, this thesis proposes that schools can play a pivotal role in promoting family mindfulness, defined as “the awareness that arises when paying attention to shared moments, intentionally and with kindness,” to enhance family functioning and well-being. The project comprises three studies. Study 1 presents an integrative review of 44 studies on family Mindfulness Programs (family MPGs), published between 2008 and 2024. The review revealed a predominance of quantitative research conducted in the Global North-West, with most programs delivered separately to parents and children, primarily targeting families with children diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Condition (ADHC). Quantitative findings on the impact of family MPGs on mindfulness, well-being, and relational variables were mixed, often limited by underpowered samples and heterogeneous measurement tools. However, consistent improvements were noted in the social responsiveness of children with Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC). Qualitative findings were more congruent, highlighting enhanced communication, empathy, and emotional regulation. Delivering Mindfulness programs separately to parents and children appeared more effective for families with neurodiverse children, as different skills were taught and parents benefited from time to focus without supervising their children. Conversely, joint delivery modalities fostered family bonding and mindful eating. Recommendations include expanding culturally contextualized and modality-sensitive randomized trials, and incorporating metrics for sibling and parent relationships. Study 2 explored the perspectives of 21 parents and 5 teachers and administrators across international schools in Hong Kong, Thailand, and Italy. Families in all three countries consistently expressed a need for Mindfulness to support emotional regulation and promote calm. Common barriers included time constraints, limited integration strategies, and the prioritization of academics over emotional learning. Enablers included opportunities for family bonding, as well as school-led modeling and structured guidance in mindfulness practices. These insights, combined with findings from Study 1 and Lindsay & Creswell’s (2017) Monitor and Acceptance model, informed the design of Mindfulness in Life (MIL), an 8-week, school-facilitated, self-administered family Mindfulness Based program. Study 3 evaluated the feasibility of the Mindfulness in Life programme among 8 children and their parents (n = 10) in a school in Italy. Results showed that MIL was associated with high retention, improvements in child mindfulness, measured with the CAMM-10 (Greco et al., 2011), and well-being, evaluated with the Kidscreen-10 (Ravens-Sieberer et al., 2010), enhanced parental interpersonal mindfulness in parenting, measured with the IM-P 10 (Duncan, 2009), and subjective well-being, measured with the COSMOWEB (Eunkook & Jaisun, 2011), and significantly stronger family functioning, measured with the FAD (Epstein et al., 1983) . Qualitative feedback affirmed increased bonding and enjoyment. This thesis suggests that schools could be catalysts of family mindfulness and recommends further exploration of Mindfulness In Life as a scalable, homework-based program in public elementary school settings

LG51.H43 Dr 2025eb Natales

https://educoll.lib.eduhk.hk/records/q5C3Y2wU