Improving executive, behavioural and socio-emotional competences in very preterm young adolescents through a
Vanessa Siffredi1, Maria Chiara Liverani2, Mariana Magnus Smith3
1Division of Development and Growth, Department of Paediatrics, Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Geneva University Hospitals and University of Geneva, Switzerland; Institute of Bioengineering, Center for Neuroprosthetics, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland; Department of Radiology and Medical Informatics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Switzerland.
Insights
Mindfulness-based interventions (MBI) are feasible and acceptable for very preterm (VPT) adolescents, showing potential to improve executive and socio-emotional skills in this vulnerable population.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Very preterm (VPT) children and adolescents experience persistent executive, behavioral, and socio-emotional challenges into adulthood.
- Mindfulness-based interventions (MBI) show promise for enhancing these competencies in youth.
- The effectiveness of MBI has not yet been evaluated in the VPT population.
Purpose of the Study:
- To outline the protocol for a clinical trial investigating an 8-week MBI program.
- To assess the feasibility and acceptability of this MBI program in young VPT adolescents.
- To enhance executive and socio-emotional competencies in VPT young adolescents.
Main Methods:
- A randomized controlled trial (RCT) with pre-post intervention designs.
- Inclusion of 164 VPT young adolescents (10-14 years old) born before 32 weeks gestation.
- Data collection on completion rates, acceptability, satisfaction, and attendance via questionnaires and registration.
Main Results:
- 63 families were enrolled, with 52 participants (82.5%) completing all assessments.
- High acceptability was indicated by strong attendance rates and positive feedback.
- The study demonstrated feasibility and high participant acceptance of the MBI program.
Conclusions:
- The MBI program is feasible and highly acceptable for VPT young adolescents.
- The RCT design provides a robust framework for future efficacy trials.
- This MBI program may offer a valuable approach to improving executive and socio-emotional skills in the VPT population.
Background:
Very preterm (VPT) children and adolescents show executive, behavioural and socio-emotional difficulties that persist into adulthood. Despite the promising role of mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) in improving theses competences in children and adolescents, the effectiveness of an MBI has not been assessed in a VPT population so far.
Aims:
To describe the protocol and to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a clinical trial on an 8-week MBI program to enhance executive and socio-emotional competences in a cohort of VPT young adolescents.
Study Design:
A randomised controlled trial (RCT) and a pre-post intervention designs.
Participants:
164 VPT young adolescents from 10 to 14 years old, born before 32 gestational weeks, without major intellectual, sensory or physical impairments, and attending mainstream school, were invited to participate in an 8-week MBI program.
Outcome Measures:
Completion rate of the study was recorded. Acceptability, satisfaction and attendance measures of the MBI were collected using self-reported questionnaires and registration of attendance.
Results:
Of the 63 participants who were enrolled in the study (38.2% of families invited to participate), 52 (82.5%) completed all assessments. Acceptability was high as shown by the high attendance rate in the sessions and the feedback evaluation questionnaire.
Conclusions:
Our findings suggest that an MBI is feasible to implement and show a high acceptability among participants. The use of an RCT design in our study constitutes the gold standard for testing the efficacy of such intervention in VPT young adolescents. If effective, the MBI program could potentially be a valuable tool for improving executive and socio-emotional competences in the vulnerable VPT population.
Trial Registration:
ClinicalTrials, NCT04638101. Registered 19 November 2020 - retrospectively registered, https://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT04638101.
