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Healthy Learning Mind

The Healthy Learning Mind is a health promotion project encompassing both research and development project.

Our research

Healthy Learning Mind is a large intervention project conducted in Finnish school setting.

The project aims to foster wellbeing, resilience, learning, self-compassion, and happiness among students and school staff in comprehensive schools.

The Healthy Learning Mind research project is a randomized controlled trial exploring the effectiveness of a mindfulness intervention on wellbeing, resilience, learning, self-compassion and happiness among 12–15-year-old adolescents in the school context. Altogether 3519 students and their teachers and parents participated in the study in 2014–2016. Participants were randomized in three different study groups: 1) an intervention group with mindfulness program; 2) an active control group with standard relaxation program and 3) a control group with normal curriculum.

Currently, we are analysing the data. So far, the statistical analyses have shown that mindfulness intervention is slightly more beneficial compared to the standard relaxation program among adolescents. We found increase in resilience and decrease in depressive symptoms as well as improved social-emotional functioning in the mindfulness group compared to the relaxation group.

The development project was conducted in 2016–2018 when we received a grant for health promotion from the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. The aim was to provide schools with a practical and cost-effective tool to promote wellbeing, learning and happiness among students and school staff while also fostering a positive social climate and a sense of calm in classrooms. Throughout the project, we developed national mindfulness-based wellbeing programs for both students and school staff and implemented them in Finnish comprehensive schools.

In the coming years, we will continue analyzing the data and publishing the results in scientific articles.

Senior Scientist

Salla-Maarit Volanen

Doctoral Researchers

Marianne Holopainen
Jemina Qvick

Staff

Emilia Keijonen

Can a Universal Mindfulness Intervention in Schools Reduce ADHD Symptoms among Adolescents? A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial.
Holopainen M, Hintsanen M, Lahti J, Vahlberg T, Volanen S-M.
Scandinavian Journal of Psychology. 2024.

Uptake of and Motivational Responses to Mental Health-Promoting Practices: Comparing Relaxation and Mindfulness Interventions.
Beattie MM, Hankonen NE, Konttinen HM, Volanen SM. Frontiers in psychology. 2022.

Healthy Learning Mind (HLM): Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial on A Mindfulness Intervention, Moderators and Association with Perceived Socioeconomic Status, and Comparison to Other National Data.
Lassander M, Saarinen T, Simonsen-Rehn N, Suominen S, Vahlberg T, Volanen S-M. Child Youth Care Forum. 2022.

Latent profile analysis as a method for process evaluations: Discovering response subgroups in a mindfulness intervention.
Beattie M, Hankonen N, Konttinen H, Volanen S-M. Social Science and Medicine. 2022.

School-based mindfulness intervention for depressive symptoms in adolescence: for whom is it most effective?
Saarinen A, Hintsanen M, Suominen S, Vahlberg T, Hankonen N, Volanen S-M. Journal of Adolescence. 2022.

Students’ stress reactivity after mindfulness intervention compared to relaxation control group.
Lassander M, Hintsanen M, Ravaja N, Määttänen I, Suominen S, Mullola S, Makkonen T, Vahlberg T, Volanen S-M. International Journal of Stress Management. 2022.

Effects of school-based mindfulness intervention on health-related quality of life: moderating effect of gender, grade and independent practice in cluster randomized controlled trial.
Lassander M, Hintsanen M, Suominen S, Mullola S, Vahlberg T, Volanen S-M. Quality of Life Research. 2021.

The Effects of School-based Mindfulness Intervention on Executive Functioning in a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial.
Lassander M, Hintsanen M, Suominen S, Mullola S, Fagerlund Å, Vahlberg T, Volanen S-M. Developmental Neuropsychology. 2020.

Social Cognitions and Mental Health as Predictors of Adolescents’ Mindfulness Practice.
Beattie MM, Konttinen HM, Volanen S-M, Knittle K, Hankonen. Mindfulness. 2020.

Healthy Learning Mind – Effectiveness of a mindfulness program on mental health compared to a relaxation program and teaching as usual in schools: a cluster-randomised controlled trial.
Volanen S-M, Lassander M, Hankonen N, Santalahti P, Hintsanen M, Simonsen N, Raevuori A, Mullola S, Vahlberg T, But A, Suominen S. Journal of Affective Disorders. 2019.

Mirka Hintsanen, Professor of Psychology, University of Oulu
Jari Lahti, Professor of Psychology, University of Helsinki
Nelli Hankonen, Professor of Social Psychology, University of Tampere
Tero Vahlberg. Biostatistician, University of Turku
Päivi Santalahti, MD, Associate Professor, University of Turku
Nina Simonsen, Doctor of Philosophy, Folkhälsan Research Center
Doctor of Psychology Maarit Lassander (graduated 2021), University of Helsinki
Doctor of Social Sciences Marguerite Beattie (graduated 2022), University of Helsinki

Juho Vainio Foundation
Signe and Ane Gyllenberg Foundation
Yrjö Jahnsson Foundation
Mats Brommels Foundation
The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health
Svenska Kulturfonden
Niilo Helander Foundation

Contact us

Salla-Maarit Volanen

Senior Scientist, Project Leader

+358 50 542 1085