The Impact of Mindfulness in Mental Health Education on Bullying Behaviors among Middle School Students

Objective: To explore the impact of mindfulness in mental health education on bullying behaviors among middle school students and the relationship among trait mindfulness (TM), self-control (SC) and bullying behavior(BB). Methods: The current study conducted a cluster randomized controlled trial, in which 92 students in the experimental group received mindfulness intervention, while 97 students in control group were randomized to no intervention. The Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire (OBVQ), the Self-control Scale (SCS) and the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) were used to measure the participants’ bullying behavior, self-control, and trait mindfulness before and after the test. Results: 1) Compared with the pretest scores of the experimental group (TM pretest 2.89 ± 0.30, SC pretest 3.05 ± 0.54, BB pretest 1.46 ± 0.45) and the pre-post-test scores of control group (TM pretest 2.96 ± 0.29 and post-test 2.98 ± 0.35, SC pretest 3.16 ± 0.55 and post-test 3.12 ± 0.63, BB pretest 1.42 ± 0.36 and post-test 1.43 ± 0.47), the post-test scores of TM (3.49 ± 0.64) and SC (3.55 ± 0.72) in the experimental group were significantly increased ( P < 0.01), and the scores of BB (1.09 ± 0.20) were significantly decreased ( P < 0.01). 2) TM was positively associated with SC (r = 0.13~0.63, P < 0.05). TM and SC were negatively associated with BB (r = − 0.38~ − 0.13, P < 0.05). 3) The overall effects of trait mindfulness on bullying and being-bullied were − 0.77 and − 0.96 respectively ( P < 0.01). The mediating effect of self-control accounted for 37.66% and 31.25% of the overall effect ( P < 0.01). Conclusion: School-based mindfulness training distinctly improves trait mindfulness and self-control, and reduces bullying behavior of middle school students. Moreover, self-control acts as a mediating role between trait mindfulness and bullying behavior.