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A Trial of Mindfulness Meditation to Reduce Anger and Violence in Thai Youth

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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.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the director and teachers at a technical college in Bangkok for supporting this study as well as all of the students who participated.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Biomedical Sciences, Charles Sturt University, Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia

    Nualnong Wongtongkam

  2. Discipline of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

    Nualnong Wongtongkam & Paul Russell Ward

  3. Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia

    Andrew Day

  4. School of Psychology, Social Work and Social Policy, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

    Anthony Harold Winefield

  5. School of Psychology, Deakin University, Geelong, 3220, Victoria, Australia

    Andrew Day

Authors
  1. Nualnong Wongtongkam
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  2. Paul Russell Ward
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  3. Andrew Day
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  4. Anthony Harold Winefield
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Andrew Day.

Additional information

Trial Registration: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZTCR): ACTRN12613000670774

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Wongtongkam, N., Ward, P.R., Day, A. et al. A Trial of Mindfulness Meditation to Reduce Anger and Violence in Thai Youth. Int J Ment Health Addiction 12, 169–180 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-013-9463-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-013-9463-0

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