Background: Adolescence represents a period where youth develop skills and competencies necessary to flourish in the physical, social, emotional, and academic areas of their lives (Masten & Coatsworth, 1998). Additionally, youth are facing unprecedented social and mental health challenges (NIMH, 2021). It is important to equip youth with tools to help them succeed. Mindfulness is one resource which has shown to decrease symptoms of stress, depression and anxiety, while also improving present moment awareness, acceptance, and overall well-being (Dunning et al., 2019; Semple & Burke, 2019).

Aims: The purpose of this study is to examine the efficacy of 15 -lesson self-guided, internet-delivered mindfulness training with a non-clinical sample of adolescents compared to a waitlist group. 

Method: We currently have 70 youth participating in the study. Outcomes include well-being, mindfulness, depression, and anxiety, which will be measured at three time points. We will use a randomized, counterbalanced design with two groups to examine between-group and within-group differences in outcomes over time. We will use multilevel modeling to determine main effects, time by group interactions, and between group effect sizes. 

Results: Although the study is currently in the data collection phase, we will have results analyzed prior to IPPA 2023. We expect that participants who complete the course will report improved scores in mindfulness, subjective well-being, anxiety, and depression compared to waitlist participants, and that these changes will persist across follow-up. We also expect that adolescents will find the course enjoyable, and that this method of dissemination will be feasible for this population. 

Conclusion: We expect that an online, self-driven mindfulness course for adolescents will lead to improvements in mindfulness and subjective well being, as well as reductions in anxious and depressive symptoms. This course can provide youth with important skills required to flourish, and the self-guided online format may be an efficient way to provide these resources to a wide number of youth facing difficult mental health and social challenges.