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Anxiety is commonly experienced by children on the autism spectrum, and can negatively impact their lives. Family accommodation has been linked to the impact of anxiety on the child's life in non-autistic children. This study tested whether the same relationship holds for children on the autism spectrum. A community sample (n = 118) of parents of children on the spectrum completed questionnaires on their child's autism characteristics and severity and impact of their child's anxiety, their own anxiety and family accommodation behaviours. Family accommodation was associated with the impact of child anxiety, over and above anxiety severity of the child and parent. Findings support the involvement of parents in psychosocial support for children on the autism spectrum experiencing anxiety., Author(s): Lisa Marie Emerson [sup.1] , Dawn Adams [sup.2] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.21006.35, 0000 0001 2179 4063, School of Health Sciences, University of Canterbury, , Kirkwood Avenue, 8041, Christchurch, New [...]

The recognition of anxiety as one of the most commonly co-occurring diagnoses for individuals on the autism spectrum has led to increased research on symptomatology and treatment, but there is limited research documenting the impact of this anxiety. To address this, this study reports on the Child Anxiety Life Interference Scale (CALIS, parent version) in a community sample of 121 parents of children on the autism spectrum. Scores indicate that the anxiety is impacting upon the child's engagement in activities both in and outside of home as well as impacting upon parent life. Explanatory variables differed for CALIS subscales. As the child's difficulties with uncertainty and parent level of anxiety were the variables that explained the most variance, these may be important foci for effective interventions., Author(s): Dawn Adams [sup.1] [sup.2] , Lisa-Marie Emerson [sup.3] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.1022.1, 0000 0004 0437 5432, Autism Centre of Excellence, School of Education and Professional Studies, Griffith University, , [...]

There is limited recent research on the association between parenting practices and externalizing behaviors in autistic children. To address this gap, the current systematic review examined the associations between parenting practices and externalizing behaviors in autistic children, along with the mediating and moderating effects of parent and child variables (PROSPERO registration number CRD42022268667). Study inclusion criteria were (1) Peer-reviewed journals, (2) Participants included parents of autistic children and their children, (3) Quantitative measures of both parenting practices or behaviors/style and child externalizing behaviors, (4) Cross-sectional or longitudinal studies only, and (5) Studies published in English. Study exclusion criteria were: (1) Qualitative studies, (2) Published in a language other than English, (3) Participants included non-human participants, (4) Participants that did not include parents and their autistic children as participants or did not report this group separately, (5) Systematic review and meta-analyses, and (6) No quantitative measures of parenting practices and/or child externalizing behaviors. Quality appraisal and risk of bias were conducted using the McMaster Tool and results were synthesized in Covidence and Excel. Thirty studies were included in the review. Results demonstrated that mindful parenting was associated with fewer or lower levels of externalizing behaviors; positive parenting practices had non-significant associations with externalizing behaviors; specific parenting practices had differing associations with externalizing behaviors; and negative parenting practices were associated with higher levels of externalizing behaviors. We are unable to draw causal relationships due to focus on cross-sectional and longitudinal articles only. The potential for future research to target specific parent practices to support children's externalizing behaviors is discussed., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Several sessions of mindfulness practice can exert positive gains for child executive functions (EF); however, the evidence for effects of a mindfulness induction, on EF for adults, is mixed and this effect has not been tested in children. The immediate effect of an age appropriate 3-min mindfulness induction on EF of children aged 4-7 years was tested. Participants ( N  = 156) were randomly assigned to a mindfulness induction or dot-to-dot activity comparison group before completing four measures of EF. A composite score for EF was calculated from summed z scores of the four EF measures. A difference at baseline in behavioural difficulties between the mindfulness induction and comparison group meant that data was analysed using a hierarchical regression. The mindfulness induction resulted in higher average performance for the composite EF score ( M =  0.12) compared to the comparison group ( M  = - 0.05). Behavioural difficulties significantly predicted 5.3% of the variance in EF performance but participation in the mindfulness or comparison induction did not significantly affect EF. The non-significant effect of a mindfulness induction to exert immediate effects on EF fits within broader evidence reporting mixed effects when similar experimental designs have been used with adults. The findings are discussed with consideration of the extent to which methodological differences may account for these mixed effects and how mindfulness inductions fit within broader theoretical and empirical understanding of the effects of mindfulness on EF., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.All procedures were approved by the ethics committee at the University of Sheffield and were in accordance with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments.Informed consent was obtained from all parents or guardians of the participants included in the study.

Obsessive intrusive thoughts (OITs) are experienced by the majority of the general population, and in their more extreme forms are characteristic of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). These cognitions are said to exist on a continuum that includes differences in their frequency and associated distress. The key factors that contribute to an increased frequency and distress are how the individual appraises and responds to the OIT. Facets of mindfulness, such as nonjudgment and nonreactivity, offer an alternative approach to OITs than the negative appraisals and commonly utilised control strategies that often contribute to distress. Clarifying the role of facets of mindfulness in relation to these cognitions offers a means to elucidate individual characteristics that may offer protection from distress associated with OITs. A sample of nonclinical individuals ( n  = 583) completed an online survey that assessed their experiences of OITs, including frequency, emotional reaction and appraisals, and trait mindfulness. The findings from a series of multiple regression analyses confirmed that specific facets of mindfulness relating to acting with awareness and acceptance (nonjudgment and nonreactivity) consistently predicted less frequent and distressing experiences of OITs. In contrast, the observe facet emerged as a consistent predictor of negative experiences of OITs. These findings suggest that acting with awareness and acceptance may confer protective characteristics in relation to OITs, but that the observe facet may reflect a hypervigilance to OITs. Mindfulness-based prevention and intervention for OCD should be tailored to take account of the potential differential effects of increasing specific facets of mindfulness., Competing Interests: Compliance with Ethical StandardsEthical approval for the research was provided by the Department of Psychology Ethics Committee, University of Sheffield. LME contributed to the design of the study, conducted the analyses and wrote the paper. CH contributed to the design and execution of the study, conducted initial analyses and wrote part of the paper. GGS conducted analyses and wrote part of the paper.

Mindfulness can be measured as an individual trait, which varies between individuals. In recent years, research has investigated the overlap between trait mindfulness and attachment. The aim of the present review and meta-analysis was to investigate the current evidence linking adult attachment dimensions to trait mindfulness dimensions, and to quantitatively synthesize these findings using meta-analyses. A systematic literature search was conducted using five scientific databases of which, upon review, 33 articles met inclusion criteria. Inclusion criteria were peer-reviewed journals and dissertations published in English that relied on quantitative methods using reliable and validated self-report measures where study participants were aged 16 years and older. Random-effects model meta-analytic procedures were used to investigate the relationship between both constructs. Cross-sectional studies found significant negative correlations between adult attachment insecurity, on either dimension (anxiety or avoidance) and both total mindfulness score and all five sub-dimensions of mindfulness (act with awareness, observe, describe, non-reacting, and non-judging), with the exception of a non-significant positive correlation between attachment anxiety and observe. The effect size of the relationships ranged from small to medium. The overall mean effect sizes were moderate (anxiety, r +  = .34; avoidance, r +  = -.28), with both attachment dimensions associated with lower levels of total mindfulness. Results are discussed in relation to theory and research. Implications for future research include the need to utilize longitudinal design to address causality and mechanisms of the relationship between these constructs.

School teachers report high levels of stress which impact on their engagement with pupils and effectiveness as a teacher. Early intervention or prevention approaches may support teachers to develop positive coping and reduce the experience and impact of stress. This article reviews research on one such approach: mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) for school teachers. A systematic review and narrative synthesis were conducted for quantitative and qualitative studies that report the effects of MBIs for teachers of children aged 5-18 years on symptoms of stress and emotion regulation and self-efficacy. Twelve independent publications were identified meeting the inclusion criteria and these gave a total of 13 samples. Quality appraisal of the identified articles was carried out. The effect sizes and proportion of significant findings are reported for relevant outcomes. The quality of the literature varied, with main strengths in reporting study details, and weaknesses including sample size considerations. A range of MBIs were employed across the literature, ranging in contact hours and aims. MBIs showed strongest promise for intermediary effects on teacher emotion regulation. The results of the review are discussed in the context of a model of teacher stress. Teacher social and emotional competence has implications for pupil wellbeing through teacher-pupil relationships and effective management of the classroom. The implications for practice and research are considered.