The effects of a single mindfulness meditation practice on self-regulation in children and adults

The present thesis assesses a core component of mindfulness training, experiential mindfulness meditations, on one of the primary targets of mindfulness training, self-regulation. The research presented here explores the effect of a single mindfulness meditation practice on self-regulation on novice meditators of all ages, with a special interest in children and adolescents. This thesis offers a distinct contribution to the literature on mindfulness, by two main methods: (a) systematically reviewing, meta-analysing and synthesising experimental investigations of single session mindfulness meditation practices on self-regulation, and (b) exploring the potential effects of a single session mindfulness meditation practice on self-regulation in children in two novel studies.
The findings provide preliminary support that mindfulness meditation practice may be an active component of mindfulness training for self-regulation in children from age 7 years. Furthermore, there is evidence for all ages of a direct short-term effect of a single mindfulness meditation practice on self-regulation by impacting on attention and emotion regulation. The thesis presents an original theoretical model for the short-term effects of mindfulness meditation practice on self-regulation based on the thesis findings.
The thesis offers a novel contribution to an emerging area of research within the domain of mindfulness, and highlights the need for (a) more understanding of the age at which mindfulness meditation practice may contribute to the effects of mindfulness training, and (b) further investigation of processes through which self-regulation is affected by mindfulness meditation practice. By investigating the effect of mindfulness meditation practice on self-regulation there is potential for further understanding of the processes of change of mindfulness training and theory development.