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Effectiveness of the Mindfulness-Based OpenMind-Korea (OM-K) Preschool Program

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Abstract

Objectives

Preschool years provide a window of opportunity to enhance attentional flexibility, increase inhibitory control, build resilience, and strengthen emotion regulation in children. We assessed the effectiveness of a mindfulness-based social-emotional learning program—OpenMind-Korea (OM-K)—on preschool children’s emotion regulation, resilience, and prosocial behaviors.

Method

In a two-arm randomized controlled trial, two of four preschools were randomly assigned to the intervention condition and two to the control condition. The teachers in the intervention condition implemented the OM-K program (n = 42 children), and the teachers in the control condition provided instruction as usual (n = 41 children).

Results

At baseline (pre-intervention), the children in the control condition were rated as being significantly better on all outcome variables than those in the intervention condition. Although children in the intervention condition improved on all outcome variables, the children in the control condition continued to be rated higher on all outcome variables at the first post-intervention assessment. However, the children in the intervention condition were rated with significantly higher scores than the children in the control condition at the second and third post-intervention assessments. The children in the intervention condition were rated with significantly higher scores on lability/negativity, resilience, and prosocial behaviors. Although the ratings for adaptive regulation were higher for the children in the intervention condition than those in the control condition, the ratings did not reach statistical significance.

Conclusions

This study suggests that implementing the OM-K program in preschools may enhance the children’s emotion regulation (adaptive regulation, lability/negativity), resilience, and prosocial behavior (helping, sharing, cooperation, and comfort to others).

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Acknowledgments

This study would not have been possible without the unconditional support of the school principals, the highly motivated preschool teachers, the preschool children, and the encouragement of the children’s parents. Thus, we acknowledge the school principals, teachers, children, and parents involved in this study with palms joined and a deep bow.

Funding

Preparation of this research was supported by a National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant (NRF-2010-361-A00008) funded by the Korean Government (MEST).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Mind Humanities, Wonkwang University, Iksan, Republic of Korea

    Eunjin Kim, Seong-Hun Jo, Jisun Oh & Shi-Yong Ko

  2. Little Lotus Therapy and Consulting, Port St. Lucie, FL, USA

    Monica M. Jackman

  3. McPherson Therapy and Consulting, Greenville, KY, USA

    Carrie L. McPherson

  4. Institute for Learning Sciences & Teacher Education, Australian Catholic University, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

    Yoon-Suk Hwang

  5. Department of Psychiatry and Health Behavior, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, USA

    Nirbhay N. Singh

Authors
  1. Eunjin Kim
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  2. Monica M. Jackman
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  3. Seong-Hun Jo
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  4. Jisun Oh
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  5. Shi-Yong Ko
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  6. Carrie L. McPherson
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  7. Yoon-Suk Hwang
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  8. Nirbhay N. Singh
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Contributions

EK designed and executed the study and wrote the first draft of the paper; MMJ developed the OM program; SJ translated the OM program into Korean and collaborated in its implementation; JO collaborated in the implementation of the program; SK enabled the implementation of the OM-K program and provided research support; CLM provided initial training on the OM-K program to the teachers; YSH undertook the statistical analysis and writing of the data analysis and results sections; and NNS collaborated in all phases of the study.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Eunjin Kim.

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Conflict of Interest

MMJ is the developer of the OM program. The remaining authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval

The Institutional Review Board at Wonkwang University provided ethical approval for the research component of the OM-K program. All procedures performed in this study were in accordance with the ethical standards of the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed Consent

Informed consent was obtained from the four preschools, all parents, and assent from the children.

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Kim, E., Jackman, M.M., Jo, SH. et al. Effectiveness of the Mindfulness-Based OpenMind-Korea (OM-K) Preschool Program. Mindfulness 11, 1062–1072 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-020-01337-2

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