The Healthy Learning Mind
The Healthy Learning Mind is a health promotion project including a research and a development project. The aim of the project is to promote well-being, resilience, learning, self-compassion and happiness among students and school personnel in Finnish comprehensive schools.
The Healthy Learning Mind research project is a randomized controlled trial exploring the effectiveness of a mindfulness intervention on well-being, 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 during 2014-2016. Now the data is analysed and results are reported in articles.
The development project was conducted during 2016-2018 when we received a grant for health promotion from the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. During the project we developed national mindfulness-based well-being programs for both students and school personnel and implemented the programs into Finnish comprehensive schools.
The aim was to provide schools with a concrete and cost-effective tool to promote well-being, learning and happiness among students and school personnel as well as enhance social climate and calmness in classrooms.
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Group Leader
Salla-Maarit Volanen, PhD
Project coordinator
Emilia Keijonen, M.Soc.Sc
PhD students
Marianne Holopainen, University of Helsinki
Jemina Qvick, University of Oulu
Beattie, M. M., Hankonen, N. E., Konttinen, H. M., & Volanen, S. M. Uptake of and Motivational Responses to Mental Health-Promoting Practices: Comparing Relaxation and Mindfulness Interventions. Frontiers in psychology, 13, 869438, 2022.
Lassander, M., Saarinen, T., Simonsen-Rehn, N. Suominen S., Vahlberg, T. & Volanen S-M. 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. Child Youth Care Forum, 2022.
Beattie, M., Hankonen, N., Konttinen, H., & Volanen, S-M. Latent profile analysis as a method for process evaluations: Discovering response subgroups in a mindfulness intervention. Social Science and Medicine, 114748, 2022.
Saarinen, A., Hintsanen, M., Suominen, S., Vahlberg, T., Hankonen, N. & Volanen, S-M. School-based mindfulness intervention for depressive symptoms in adolescence: for whom is it most effective? Journal of Adolescence. 2022; 1–15.
Lassander, M., Hintsanen, M., Ravaja, N., Määttänen, I., Suominen, S., Mullola, S., Makkonen, T., Vahlberg, T. & Volanen S-M. Students’ stress reactivity after mindfulness intervention compared to relaxation control group. International Journal of Stress Management, 2022.
Lassander M., Hintsanen M., Suominen S. Mullola S., Vahlberg T., Volanen S-M. 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. Quality of Life Research, 2021.
Lassander, M., Hintsanen, M., Suominen, S., Mullola, S., Fagerlund, Å., Vahlberg, T. & Volanen, S-M. The Effects of School-based Mindfulness Intervention on Executive Functioning in a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial. Developmental Neuropsychology, 2020, vol. 45, (7-8), 469-484.
Beattie, M.M., Konttinen, H.M., Volanen, S-M., Knittle, K., & Hankonen. Social Cognitions and Mental Health as Predictors of Adolescents’ Mindfulness Practice. Mindfulness 11, 1204–1217 (2020).
Volanen S-M., Lassander M., Hankonen N., Santalahti P., Hintsanen M., Simonsen N., Raevuori A., Mullola, S., Vahlberg T., But A. & Suominen S. (2019). 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. Journal of Affective Disorders, 2019, 260: 660-669.
Beattie M., Hankonen N., Salo G., Knittle K. & Volanen S-M. Applying behavioral theory to increase mindfulness practice among adolescents: an exploratory intervention study using within-trial RCT design. Mindfulness. 2019, 10:2, 312-324.
Volanen S-M., Lassander M., Hankonen N., Santalahti P., Hintsanen M., Simonsen N., Raevuori A., Mullola S., Vahlberg T., But, A. & Suominen S. Healthy Learning Mind - a school-based mindfulness and relaxation program: a study protocol for a cluster randomized controlled trial. BMC Psychology, 2016, 4:35.
Samfundet Folkhälsan
University of Helsinki
Juho Vainio Foundation
Signe and Ane Gyllenberg Foundation
Yrjö Jahnsson Foundation
Mats Brommel’s Foundation
The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health
Svenska Kulturfonden
Niilo Helander Foundation
