Trait mindfulness in adolescents with and without Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.
John T Mitchell, Naomi O Davis, Jessica R Lunsford-Avery
PMID 39892034WHAT IT FOUND
Adolescents with ADHD reported lower trait mindfulness than peers, particularly in 'acting with awareness.' This specific facet was the strongest predictor of ADHD symptoms, executive function deficits, and sleep problems, suggesting it may be a key target for future mindfulness-based interventions.
Key findings
01Adolescents with ADHD displayed significantly lower overall trait mindfulness compared to controls after controlling for age and sex.
02When all five mindfulness facets were analyzed together, only 'Acting with Awareness' remained a significant predictor of both inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms.
03Lower 'Acting with Awareness' scores were also significant predictors of poorer executive functioning, worse sleep quality, and greater daytime sleepiness.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The sample was relatively small (59 participants), which may have limited the power to detect subtle effects. There are no normative data for trait mindfulness in adolescents, so it is unclear if the ADHD group's scores were clinically severe or just lower than average. The study did not determine if low mindfulness is unique to ADHD or common across other disorders (transdiagnostic). Many participants did not have co-occurring psychiatric disorders, so findings may not generalize to adolescents with ADHD who have comorbidities like anxiety or depression. This is a cross-sectional study, so it cannot determine if low mindfulness causes ADHD symptoms or if ADHD symptoms make it harder to be mindful.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The study was part of a parent study examining sleep and cognition in adolescents with ADHD.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that mindfulness training will improve ADHD symptoms based on this paper. This study only showed that mindfulness is associated with ADHD symptoms in a cross-sectional design; it did not test an intervention. Furthermore, the association is correlational, so it is unclear if raising mindfulness would actually reduce symptoms.