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Objectives Recent findings converge to the evidence that simple mindfulness practices can help children deal with difficult emotions and thoughts. Apart from pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy, mindfulness-based exercises seem to be another important pillar of mental health care. The aim of the present study was to test the hypothesis that simple mindfulness exercises lead to a change of actual emotional state and a greater sense of control over thoughts. Methods Our study was performed on hospitalized children (N = 20; mean age 14,2 ± 1,3; total amount of all mindfulness exercises was 119). A self-report scale was used for measuring of the emotional state. Two standardized exercises from the book of Eline Snel “Sitting Still Like A Frog” was used. Results Results indicate that mindfulness meditation leads to decrease of negative affect in adolescents (actual feeling, bad vs good, before 4,9±2,68, after 5,2±2,53, p<0,02; negative emotions, before 6,8±2,0, after 6,2±2,46, p<0,001; negative somatic sensations, before 6,6±2,1, after 6,1±2,2 p<0,02). No effect of meditation on control over thoughts and self-esteem was found. Significant correlation was found between subjective success and change of actual feeling change (R=0,27, p<0,01), self-esteem (R=0,26, p<0,01) and control over thoughts (R=0,49, p<0,01). Conclusions The simple mindfulness practices can help children deal with negative emotions and this effect increases motivation for further training. It supports the notion that this method could be an integral part of treatment during hospitalization. The limits of the study and pitfalls of work with hospitalized adolescents in this context will be discussed.
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