Provide names of other journalists involved.
None
List date(s) this work was published or aired.
February 2012. The article remains online for members to continue to read in the archives. I’ve included a link, however, only members can read the full article. The link only provides a teaser.
Provide a brief synopsis of the story or stories, including any significant findings.
This article is about how teens in America from troubled urban youth with criminal records to normally stressed suburban upper middle income youth are able to benefit from learning mindfulness skills to improve their health and ability to cope. Growing research evidence is documenting the practice’s efficacy as a complement to pharmaceuticals when indicated for mental health issues and to traditional “talk” therapy. New understanding of the neuro-development of the adolescent brain is providing additional support for the value of introducing mindfulness skills as a method of coping with stress during the teen years.
Explain types of documents, data or Internet resources used. Were FOI or public records act requests required? How did this affect the work?
Journal articles from leading medical publications, books by expert sources, government data on children’s health issues such as Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics; NCHS data brief, no. 4;National Survey of Children’s Health. NSCH 2007. Data query from the Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative, Data Resource Center for Child and Adolescent Health website;U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau. 2010. The Mental and Emotional Well-Being of Children: A Portrait of States and the Nation 2007; Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics. America’s Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2011. Non-profit data from the Kaiser Family Foundation. I worked with government agency librarians.
Explain types of human sources used.
I interviewed adolescents who had participated in mindfulness training programs about their experiences. I also received interview notes of youth from researchers with published findings and I received testimonials of participants from those who provide programs to adolescent youth.
Results:
I was able to confirm the strength of improvements in life quality and in life transformation among those youth who had participated in a variety of mindfulness meditation programs nationwide.
Follow-up (if any). Have you run a correction or clarification on the report or has anyone come forward to challenge its accuracy? If so, please explain.
No
Advice to other journalists planning a similar story or project.
It took multiple interviews for the youth I interviewed personally to open up and share directly the reasons for why they participated in these types of programs and exactly how they benefited personally. They were strengthened to share their stories publicly when they realized that by being open and honest, it could help others who may feel depressed, suicidal or otherwise hopeless about the direction of their lives. My advice is to be both respectful and persistent.