Current Research - Stanford
MBA is currently partnering with the Pediatric Advocacy Program of Stanford Medical School to research the effects of adding in a daylong mindfulness intensive into our 12-week curriculum at Camp Glenwood (San Mateo County’s long-term boys detention camp).
PROJECT ABSTRACT
Background
Incarcerated youth are a particularly vulnerable group with a disproportionately higher medical and psychiatric morbidity and mortality compared to the general population. While the general adolescent population has an estimated prevalence of serious psychiatric illness at approximately 10% , the prevalence of serious psychiatric illness in incarcerated youth is reported as 70%. Existing studies have demonstrated that there is an unmet need for mental health care and for rehabilitation among this population as incarcerated youth have higher rates of homicide, suicide, and future incarceration compared to the general adolescent population; for example, incarcerated youth have a completed suicide rate four times that of non-incarcerated adolescents. Several studies have demonstrated the value of providing community services and mental health treatment programs for reducing recidivism and high-risk health behaviors among incarcerated youth. Furthermore, several studies document a positive impact of meditation and mindfulness-based courses on adult prisoners. Meditation can be defined as “deliberate self-regulation or attention in the present moment.” The term mindfulness describes paying attention to the present moment in a non-judgmental fashion. While many studies in the pediatric literature report that meditation and mindfulness can promote the physical and mental wellbeing of children, only two prior studies, both currently unpublished in the peer-reviewed literature, assess the efficacy of a meditation-based program among incarcerated youth. Given the potential for meditation and mindfulness-based interventions to enhance the physical and mental wellbeing of youth, and the powerful impact of this strategy seem in incarcerated adults, further exploration of meditation and mindfulness training as a rehabilitation strategy for incarcerated youth is warranted.
Description of Research
A mixed methods approach will be used to examine the following two research questions:
Is MBA Project’s one-day intensive course in combination with the 10-session course more effective than the 10-session course alone at affecting wellbeing of participating youth?
What are the youth’s attitudes towards the one-day intensive session?
Youth will be recruited through MBA’s 10-session meditation courses at San Mateo County Probation’s secure detention center, Camp Glennwood. Half of the study participants will receive MBA’s regular 10-session meditation course plus the one-day intensive session (treatment group) and half will receive only the 10-sesion meditation course (control group). Quantitative data collection will entail administration of validated psychometric scales that assess wellbeing at strategic time points as well as the corroboration of the ongoing “points system” collected by Camp Glennwood staff that records behavioral events such as arriving to activities in a timely fashion (points awarded) and fights or outbursts (points detracted). Qualitative data collection will involve focus groups and interviews that invite the youth to elaborate on their attitudes toward the one-day intensive. Although we aim to focus on eliciting their feedback on a one-day intensive, we recognize that the experience of concentrating on mindfulness may evoke powerful emotions, particularly from a group who has a higher incidence of trauma and stress than the general population. We anticipate that our partners from MBA, who know the youth well, will help assess and guide these discussions.
We plan to evaluate whether the one-day intensive is an efficacious intervention for these young adults and to offer specific suggestions that may help improve the program. To this end, quantitative data will be analyzed to assess for statistically significant differences between those youth who receive the 10-session course plus the one-day intensive session compared to those who attend only the 10-session course. The focus groups and interviews will be audio-recorded and transcribed, and analyzed for transcript-based themes. Follow-up interviews one week and two months after the course will invite youth to reflect on how the mindfulness training, and particularly the one-day intensive, has impacted their wellbeing and emotional awareness. Their voices at this time will likely be critical for guiding further interventions that sustain the wellbeing of the youth after release from the juvenile justice system.
Anticipated Outcomes
As described in previous studies, we anticipate uncovering signs and symptoms of psychological morbidity among the incarcerated youth. This research would add to existing studies to determine the role of meditation and mindfulness training in overcoming the mental health issues prevalent in this population. Several studies have examined mindfulness-based interventions among prisoners but to our knowledge, only one peer-reviewed study has applied this approach to youth. Additionally, among the community-based movements that bring meditation to prison settings, MBA is the first to offer a one-day intensive course to young adults. We feel it is important to promptly discern how this new innovation impacts the young adults. Therefore, we are interested in hearing from the youth themselves about their experiences in the one-day intensive meditation and mindfulness course. Their voices will be essential in guiding future interventions. By identifying the youth’s struggles within the course we can help MBA address and anticipate problems accordingly. MBA has already received eager requests from judges in juvenile justice departments in several Bay Area counties to provide data on the efficacy of the one-day intensive course. Working alongside MBA, we hope to identify whether the one-day intensive is an effective strategy and offer specific programmatic suggestions that will enhance MBA’s work in San Mateo County and across the Bay Area.
In contributing to the evidence-based development of this innovate tool for rehabilitation of incarcerated youth we hope to enhance the psychological, physical, and social wellbeing of this vulnerable population. If the course proves to provide benefit to these youth, our study findings may help dedicate more funding to these programs and offer a framework for a national model for rehabilitation of incarcerated youth.
Furthermore, it is our hope that reflecting on the youth’s experiences with inner exploration and reform will heighten awareness of not only the tremendous challenges faced by incarcerated youth but also the resiliency and strength of these young adults.
Principle Investigators
Dr. Lisa Chamberlain, Director of the Pediatric Advocacy Program at Stanford, has extensive experience working to reduce child health disparities by collaborating with community partners to identify and address problems jeopardizing the health and wellbeing of children and families in our community. Dr. Chamberlain’s commitment to the values and application of community-based participatory research (CBPR) is evident through her dedication to equitable community collaborations that meet with communities to identify needs and assets, as well as through her work teaching and mentoring pediatric residents and medical students about population health, social determinants of health, and health disparities. Over the last 10 years, Dr. Chamberlain has created a leading pediatric resident training program (Stanford Advocacy Track = StAT) that provides the training, infrastructure, and technical assistance for residents to engage in longitudinal community collaborations that address community-identified child health needs. Residents gain skills in community engagement, research methodology, program management, grant writing, and evaluation. StAT faculty and program staff supports the implementation of resident-led community-based research projects.
Dr. Liz Barnert is a first-year pediatric resident participating in the StAT program. She has a long-standing passion for and commitment to advocacy for underserved communities. She has international experience leading community-based research projects and has served as a community organizer at home and abroad for over 10 years. Over the past year she has worked with Dr. Chamberlain and the advocacy program staff to develop a partnership with MBA.
Image: MBA class at Hillcrest Juvenile Detention Facility, San Mateo County, CA, Spring 2010
