Anxiety disorders are common mental health problems amongst youth with harmful impacts often extending into adulthood. Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) have become increasingly popular for addressing mental health issues, particularly in schools; however, it remains unclear how effective they are for reducing youth anxiety. This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the efficacy and effect moderators of MBIs on anxiety outcomes in children and adolescents. Eligible studies were published randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of MBIs conducted with participants aged 18 years or younger, investigating anxiety outcomes using a well-validated anxiety scale. A systematic search of RCTs published through to February 2019 identified 20 studies for inclusion (n = 1582). A random effects model was used to synthesise MBI effects. Stratified meta-analyses as well as individual, random effects meta-regressions were performed to examine how effects varied by age group, intervention setting, control type, research location, and intervention dosage. Although, across all studies, there was a small beneficial effect of MBIs on anxiety post treatment (d = 0.26), this was significantly moderated by research location, with RCTs conducted in Iran producing large effects (d = 1.25), and RCTs conducted in Western countries demonstrating no significant beneficial effect compared to controls (very small, d = 0.05). Effects were non-significant at follow-up assessment points. Post-treatment effects were significant for MBIs conducted with children (d = 0.41) and for MBIs when compared to passive controls (d = 0.33), but non-significant for adolescents (d = 0.21), for MBIs conducted in schools (d = 0.30) and in clinics (d = 0.13), and when MBIs were compared to active controls (d = 0.12). Results suggest that MBIs are likely to have a small to medium, yet temporary effect in reducing anxiety symptoms in children (not adolescents), but amongst Western youth populations the most likely outcome, from RCTs to date, is that MBIs produce no beneficial effect in anxiety reduction. Results revealed a lack of evidence to support investment in school-based MBIs to address youth anxiety.

焦虑症是年轻人中常见的心理健康问题，有害影响通常会持续到成年期。基于正念的干预（MBIs）在解决心理健康问题方面越来越受欢迎，尤其是在学校；但是，目前尚不清楚它们在减少青少年焦虑方面有多有效。这项荟萃分析旨在评估MBI对儿童和青少年焦虑结局的疗效和影响调节剂。符合条件的研究已发表，对年龄在18岁或以下的参与者进行了MBI随机对照试验（RCT），并使用经过充分验证的焦虑量表调查焦虑结局。对截至2019年2月发布的RCT进行系统搜索，确定了20项纳入研究（n = 1582）。使用随机效应模型合成MBI效应。进行分层荟萃分析以及个体随机效应荟萃回归，以检验效应如何随年龄组，干预设置，对照类型，研究地点和干预剂量而变化。尽管在所有研究中，MBI对治疗后的焦虑都有很小的有益作用（d  = 0.26），但研究地点显着缓解了这种影响，伊朗进行的RCT产生了很大的影响（d  = 1.25），而在伊朗进行的RCT西方国家说明没有显著有利的影响与对照组相比（非常小，d = 0.05）。在随访评估点的影响不显着。对于儿童进行的MBI（d  = 0.41）和与被动控制相比（d  = 0.33）的MBI，治疗后效果显着，对于青少年（d  = 0.21），对于在学校进行的MBI（d  = 0.30）和诊所（d  = 0.13），以及将MBI与活动对照进行比较（d = 0.12）。结果表明，MBI可能对减轻儿童（非青少年）的焦虑症状具有中小而暂时的作用，但从RCT至今，西方青年人群中最有可能的结局是MBI不会对儿童产生任何有益作用。减少焦虑。结果显示，缺乏证据支持对基于学校的MBI进行投资以解决青少年的焦虑症。