Author ORCID Identifier

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6727-145X

Date of Award

8-31-2026

Document Type

Open Access Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

School Psychology

First Advisor

Stacy Bender, PhD

Second Advisor

Brian Daniels, PhD

Third Advisor

Ivonne Borrero, PhD

Abstract

Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) are an increasingly popular option for schools to support youth in each of the multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS). MBIs have proven to increase attention, help with emotion regulation, decrease symptoms of anxiety and depression, and overall increase students’ wellbeing with a cost-effective package that makes it affordable for schools to implement. Moreover, MBIs have also proven to be effective for Hispanic youth who are at a higher risk of experiencing low access to mental health care and higher levels of poverty, which puts them at risk for dropping out and having low academic achievement. However, there is no standardized option for schools to monitor progress during mindfulness interventions.

The State Mindfulness Spanish/English DBR was created to provide a tool for schools to measure progress when students are participating in MBIs. A bilingual DBR was developed based on current mindfulness literature and reviewed by experts in the field with a total of 7 items being chosen for an exploratory factor analysis. The English version was completed with a sample of 27 students in the United States and the Spanish version was completed with a sample of 76 students in the United States and Venezuela. It was determined that the English/Spanish DBR captured the construct of state mindfulness. The Spanish DBR also achieved adequate levels of internal consistency and a small positive relationship with a trait mindfulness scale.

This progress monitoring tool can help practitioners and researchers understand how students engage in mindfulness interventions and learn about their progress. Results were aligned with the theoretical framework of the mechanisms of mindfulness, especially when considering the role of heartfulness as part of the evaluative process for internal and external experiences. Further research is needed to complete a more comprehensive analysis for the DBRs to confirm their structure, reliability and validity within the context of students actively participating in an MBI.

Comments

Free and open access to this work is made available to the UMass Boston community by ScholarWorks at UMass Boston. Those not on campus and those without a UMass Boston campus username and password may gain access to this work through Interlibrary Loan. If you have a UMass Boston campus username and password and would like to download this work from off-campus, click on the “Off-Campus Users” button.

Download

Share

COinS