Dissertation
A neuroimaging investigation of whether mindfulness training improves anxiety related attention impairments in pre-adolescent children
University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland
Doctor of Philosophy, University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland
2022
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25907/00702
Abstract
Anxiety and attention disorders are the most diagnosed childhood disorders. Clinical diagnoses of these disorders are increasing in pre-adolescent populations, therefore addressing symptomology early with evidence-based interventions is crucial. Studies investigating the efficacy of mindfulness interventions in sub-clinical pre-adolescent populations are limited with heterogeneity in findings reported. Variability in study findings have been attributed to limitations associated with methodological approaches, statistical power, and the limited research that links neuroimaging and behavioural outcomes. Thus, a gap exists in the research investigating the neurobiological underpinnings of subclinical anxiety related attention impairments and the efficacy of mindfulness induced neurological and behavioural changes associated with these impairments. A neuroimaging investigation was adopted for this study, as the identification of the neurological underpinnings of anxiety related attention impairments may provide markers to improve the efficacy of interventions, specifically a mindfulness intervention for this thesis.
Children’s ability to focus and sustain attention is a complex cognitive process important for everyday functioning. Attention involves i) the alerting of attention to the task ii) the orientation of attention to the task, iii) sustaining focus on the task ii) redirection from irrelevant stimuli back to the task. Different brain networks and structures are involved in each of the attentional processes. Self-regulation processes are important to support attentional processing, being cognitive control and emotion regulation. Cognitive control is required to sustain attention to the relevant task, which involves orientation then detection of relevant and irrelevant stimuli. The engagement of regulation processes is required to direct attention from irrelevant stimuli to focus on the goal. In children with anxiety related attention impairments, dysfunction in these processes can result in attention shifts to the emotional salience of irrelevant stimuli; itself further complicated by the continued development of cognitive control and emotion regulation processes through childhood and adolescence. Furthermore, cognitive deficits in attentional processing have been associated with aberrant functional connectivity in brain networks and alterations in brain structures, further moderated by children’s maturing brain networks and structures.
Details
- Title
- A neuroimaging investigation of whether mindfulness training improves anxiety related attention impairments in pre-adolescent children
- Authors
- Michelle Kennedy - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Thompson Institute
- Contributors
- Jim Lagopoulos (Principal Supervisor) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Thompson InstituteDaniel Hermens (Co-Supervisor) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Thompson Institute
- Awarding institution
- University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland
- Degree awarded
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Publisher
- University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland
- DOI
- 10.25907/00702
- Organisation Unit
- Thompson Institute
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99679179702621
- Output Type
- Dissertation
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