School-based mindfulness instruction for urban male youth: A small randomized controlled trial ☆ , ☆☆ Erica M.S. Sibinga a, ⁎, Carisa Perry-Parrish b , Shang-en Chung a , Sara B. Johnson c,d,e , Michael Smith d , Jonathan M. Ellen f a Center for Child and Community Health Research, Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, USA b Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, USA c Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, USA d Department of Population, Family & Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, USA e Institute of Interdisciplinary Salivary Bioscience Research, Arizona State University, USA f Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, All Children's Hospital Johns Hopkins Medicine, USA abstract article info Available online 9 September 2013 Keywords: Meditation Mindfulness Youth Adolescent School-based Mindfulness meditation Mindfulness-based stress reduction Coping Self-regulation Objectives. Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) has been shown to improve mental health and reduce stress in a variety of adult populations. Here, we explore the effects of a school-based MBSR program for young urban males. Participants and methods. In fall 2009, 7th and 8th graders at a small school for low-income urban boys were randomly assigned to 12-session programs of MBSR or health education (Healthy Topics—HT). Data were collected at baseline, post-program, and three-month follow-up on psychological functioning; sleep; and salivary cortisol, a physiologic measure of stress. Results. Forty-one (22 MBSR and 19 HT) of the 42 eligible boys participated, of whom 95% were African American, with a mean age of 12.5 years. Following the programs, MBSR boys had less anxiety (p = 0.01), less rumination (p = 0.02), and showed a trend for less negative coping (p = 0.06) than HT boys. Comparing base- line with post-program, cortisol levels increased during the academic terms for HT participants at a trend level (p = 0.07) but remained constant for MBSR participants (p = 0.33). Conclusions. In this study, MBSR participants showed less anxiety, improved coping, and a possible attenua- tion of cortisol response to academic stress, when compared with HT participants. These results suggest that MBSR improves psychological functioning among urban male youth. © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Introduction Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) programs have been shown to improve adult mental health (e.g., Baer, 2003; Chiesa and Serretti, 2009; Fjorback et al., 2011); recently, research on mindfulness for children and youth has begun to emerge (e.g., reviews, Meiklejohn et al., 2012; Sibinga and Kemper, 2010). Building on previous studies (Kerrigan et al., 2011; Sibinga et al., 2008, 2011), our recent mixed- methods randomized controlled trial for mostly female urban youth compared MBSR with an active control, finding that MBSR participation was associated with self-reports of increased conflict de-escalation, calm, sleep hygiene, self-awareness, and self-regulation (Sibinga, in press). Here, we explore MBSR for urban male youth, hypothesizing that MBSR is associated with reduced psychological symptoms and enhanced coping. Methods Participants In fall 2009, all 7th and 8th grade boys (n = 44) at a small application- based, tuition-free middle school for urban boys with financial need and academic potential were eligible. Students were excluded if the school staff identified them as being: in foster care (due to consent restrictions; n = 2); or having significant psychopathology, developmental delay, substance abuse, or behavioral problems (n = 0). Participation required parental consent and student assent. According to a computer-generated scheme, participants were randomly assigned to MBSR or an active control program. Prior to program assignment, all participants, and the study and school staff were blinded to pro- gram allocation. Both programs were integrated into the school day, included 7th and 8th grade students, and consisted of 12 weekly 50-minute sessions. The study was approved by the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Institutional Review Board. Preventive Medicine 57 (2013) 799–801 ☆ Funding: This study was funded by the Johns Hopkins University Center for Mind– Body Research. ☆☆ Trial registration number: NCT01650233. ⁎ Corresponding author at: Suite 4200, Mason F Lord Building, Center Tower, 5200 Eastern Ave., Baltimore, MD 21224, USA. Fax: +1 410 550 4153. E-mail address: esibinga@jhmi.edu (E.M.S. Sibinga). 0091-7435/$ – see front matter © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2013.08.027 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Preventive Medicine journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/ypmed