Study to assess effectiveness of mindfulness in teenagers
A large-scale trial in the UK will assess whether mindfulness training for teenagers can improve their mental health.
The £6.4m (US$10m, €9.2m) research programme, conducted by Wellcome Trust, will involve nearly 6,000 students age 11 to 14 and will be carried out over seven years.
The programme is based on the theory that just as physical training is associated with improved physical health, psychological resilience training is associated with better mental health. With most mental disorders developing before the age of 24, researchers hope that promoting good mental health early can build young people’s resilience to those disorders.
“Mindfulness is a form of ‘mind exercise,’ as it’s a way that we can improve our mental health,” said Professor Willem Kuyken, a principal investigator from the University of Oxford. “Just as brushing your teeth or going for a run are well-known ways of protecting general physical health, mindfulness exercises develop mental fitness and resilience.”
Mindfulness training is designed to be of benefit across a wide spectrum of mental health – including those who are at low risk of developing mental disorders – and the goal of the study is to evaluate its effect across a whole population, looking not just at things like risk of depression, but also at social and behavioural skills and well-being.
Mindfulness is increasingly accepted as a useful mental training tool. As previously reported by Spa Opportunities, UK healthcare organisation Nuffield Health recently teamed up with Mindlab to develop a new corporate mindfulness training programme for businesses to optimise employee performance and build emotional resilience.
Nuffield Health bidding to bring mindfulness to the workplace
Group mindfulness 'as effective' as cognitive behavioural therapy at treating depression
Mind exercise key to overall health
BIG unveils Eve Music Hall as Croatia venue nears completion
Bob Rogers hands BRC to long-serving leadership team
Wellness care hospital opens in Vilnius with innovative spa and hospitality concept
Universal and Puy du Fou projects point to rise of Oxford–Cambridge corridor
A proposed Puy du Fou development near Bicester and Universal Destinations and Experiences’ planned resort in Bedford are emerging as part of a wider transformation of the Oxford–Cambridge Growth Corridor into a major centre for UK leisure and tourism investment.
For years, the corridor has been associated primarily with science, technology, housing and university-led economic growth. However, the clustering of large-scale visitor attraction projects along the
All-inclusive eco-wellness development Auko to open near Vietnam’s Son Doong caves
Shedd Aquarium upgrades its visitor experience with new Immersion Theater
Shedd Aquarium has opened the Immersion Theater developed in partnership with SimEx-Iwerks, as part of a wider strategy to enhance the guest experience and create additional revenue opportunities.
The attraction has transformed the aquarium’s Phelps Auditorium into a multi-sensory venue combining panoramic projection, environmental effects and interactive technology.
A new pre-show area allows visitors to engage with augmented reality marine animals before entering the
Mandarin Oriental announces standalone Mansions-branded residences for Abu Dhabi
MCR is planning a luxury hotel for London's BT Tower
Joy as a radical act: Yinka Ilori launches solo exhibition celebrating the rebellious power of spreading happiness
Work gets underway on Madrid's €800 million leisure complex
Work is underway in Madrid on one of Europe’s most significant multi-functional complexes, combining sport, entertainment, culture and education.
The €800 million initiative to regenerate the former Olympic Aquatic Centre in the north-east of the city, next to the Riyadh Air Metropolitano stadium, is being led by Barsento – a joint venture between Live Nation Entertainment, Oak View Group and Atlético de Madrid. The project will
Therme Manchester reveals 90:90 strategy – 90 per cent of the UK population within a 90-minute drive of a Therme
Four Seasons’ Naples Beach Club opens 2,800sq m Sanctuary spa inspired by indigenous Calusa people
Orient Express Corinthian to host Ocean Rebirth wellness retreat in collaboration with Guerlain
Famed London nightclub, Tramp, launches Tramp Health
First look: Miraval opens on the Red Sea in Saudi Arabia
Hainan Science Museum by Ma Yansong, opens in China
A new science museum has opened to the public in Haikou after attracting more than 350,000 visitors during a four-month soft opening period.
Designed by Ma Yansong and his practice MAD Architects, the Hainan Science Museum is located on the edge of Wuyuan River National Wetland Park and has already recorded peak attendance of more than 5,800 visitors in a single day.
Commissioned by




















