A qualitative study of English school children’s experiences of two brief, universal, classroom-based mental health and wellbeing interventions: Mindfulness and Relaxation

Stapley, E, Hayes, D, March, A, Mansfield, R, Burrell, K, Ashworth, E ORCID: 0000-0002-5279-4514, Moltrecht, B, Stallard, P, Thompson, A and Deighton, J A qualitative study of English school children’s experiences of two brief, universal, classroom-based mental health and wellbeing interventions: Mindfulness and Relaxation. Contemporary School Psychology.

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Abstract

There is growing interest in how mindfulness and relaxation, taught in a school setting, can help children to manage their mental health and wellbeing. However, to date there has been a paucity of qualitative research seeking to explore children’s experiences of these interventions. Focus groups were conducted with 65 students (aged 8 to 12) across seven schools participating in a randomised controlled trial in England in 2019. Participants had received either a brief Mindfulness-Based Exercises or Relaxation Techniques intervention, delivered by school staff on a universal (whole-class) basis. The data were analysed using thematic analysis. Participants across both interventions cited the importance of having a quiet, calming atmosphere within the classroom to facilitate delivery, as well as the need for variation in activities. Many participants described the interventions as having a positive impact. However, some felt that the interventions could also induce feelings of annoyance, stress, and physical discomfort. The interventions differed in terms of some of the mechanisms behind positive impact identified by participants, with Relaxation Techniques reported as taking difficult feelings away and Mindfulness-Based Exercises described as enabling difficult feelings to be let go. The findings have implications for future intervention delivery in a school context. The findings identify how and why these interventions can work from children’s perspectives (e.g., through reducing difficult feelings), as well as what can undermine positive impact (e.g., finding activities boring).

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	1701 Psychology; 3904 Specialist studies in education; 5201 Applied and developmental psychology
Divisions:	Psychology (from Sep 2019)
Publisher:	Springer
Date of acceptance:	1 September 2025
Date of first compliant Open Access:	18 September 2025
Date Deposited:	18 Sep 2025 10:46
Last Modified:	18 Sep 2025 11:00
DOI or ID number:	10.1007/s40688-025-00567-2
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/27178

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