A trial of mindfulness meditation to reduce anger and violence in Thai youth

Abstract

Mindfulness meditation techniques are increasingly being used to treat problematic anger and aggressive behaviour, and yet the evidence base to support the effectiveness of these methods remains limited. This paper describes a trial of a mindfulness meditation intervention delivered to technical college students in Thailand. A total of 40 students received the intervention and changes on a series of self-report assessments of anger expression and violent behaviour were compared with those of a group of 56 students who did not receive the intervention. The intervention did not appear to lead to major reductions in self-reported anger or violence, although qualitative data elicited from interviews with participants suggested that the students had improved their self-regulation skills and developed greater self-awareness. It is concluded that this type of intervention may have value in preventing violence amongst Thai youth, but that more trials and stronger evaluation designs are needed to establish this.