Effectiveness of Mindfulness‑Based Cognitive Therapy for Child on Bullying Behaviors among Children

Aims: Bullying is an ever‑increasing phenomenon in schools and it has far‑reaching consequences on children and adolescents, for whichnecessary measures must be taken to prevent and reduce it. This study was aimed to investigate the effectiveness of mindfulness‑basedcognitive therapy for child (MBCT‑C) on bullying behavior among children. Materials and Methods: the population of this study consistedof Grade 3 through 5 students in Kashan town in 2017–2018 school years. The sample consisted of 20 students who had been selected byinclusion and exclusion criteria. The conventional sampling method was used. A quasi‑experimental design was used in this study. Participantscompleted the Illinois Bullying Scale before and after the intervention of experimental and control groups. Data were analyzed using analysisof covariance. Results: The findings showed that MBCT‑C had a significant effect on bullying behavior reduction and the effect size in thisintervention was 0.89. Furthermore, results from individual mean scores in bullying scale questions indicated that in pretest both experimentaland control groups, excluding others from in a group of friends was the most frequent behavior and mindfulness training had effectivelythe highest effect on decreasing this character. Conclusion: It suggests that intervention concerning diminishing bullying behaviors may startwith mindfulness training.

Keywords:

Bullying , child , mindfulness , schools