Designing an Integrated Model for Promoting Students’ Psychological Well-Being Based on School-Based Mindfulness, School Belonging, and Peer Relationship Quality
Keywords:
psychological well-being, school-based mindfulness, school belonging, peer relationships, students, qualitative research, thematic analysis.Abstract
This study aimed to design an integrated model for promoting students’ psychological well-being based on their lived experiences of school-based mindfulness, school belonging, and peer relationship quality. This qualitative study was conducted using thematic analysis. The participants were 24 secondary school students from Tehran, Iran, selected through purposive sampling with maximum variation in gender, grade level, and school type. Data were collected exclusively through semi-structured interviews and continued until theoretical saturation was reached. All interviews were audio-recorded with informed consent, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using NVivo software. To enhance trustworthiness, member checking, peer review, prolonged engagement with the data, and an audit trail were employed. The analysis yielded four main categories: “mindful self-regulation and emotional management in the school context,” “school belonging as being seen and psychologically safe,” “peer relationship quality and socio-emotional support,” and “individual–relational–school synergy in promoting well-being.” The findings indicated that mindfulness practices were more meaningful for students when embedded in daily school routines, classroom interactions, teacher responsiveness, peer empathy, conflict resolution, and participatory school culture rather than being implemented as isolated individual exercises. The proposed model suggests that students’ psychological well-being emerges from the interaction between intrapersonal regulation, institutional belonging, and supportive peer relationships. Accordingly, school-based mental health programs should integrate mindfulness practices with belonging-oriented strategies, peer-support systems, inclusive classroom norms, and whole-school policies that strengthen psychological safety and social connectedness.
Downloads
References
Allen, K. A., Kern, M. L., Vella-Brodrick, D., Hattie, J., & Waters, L. (2018). What schools need to know about fostering school belonging: A meta-analysis. Educational Psychology Review, 30(1), 1–34. doi: 10.1007/s10648-016-9389-8
Baumeister, R. F., & Leary, M. R. (1995). The need to belong: Desire for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivation. Psychological Bulletin, 117(3), 497–529. doi: 10.1037/0033-2909.117.3.497
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. doi: 10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Dunning, D. L., Griffiths, K., Kuyken, W., Crane, C., Foulkes, L., Parker, J., & Dalgleish, T. (2019). Research review: The effects of mindfulness-based interventions on cognition and mental health in children and adolescents: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 60(3), 244–258. doi: 10.1111/jcpp.12980
Fulambarkar, N., Seo, B., Testerman, A., Rees, M., Bausback, K., & Bunge, E. (2023). Review: Meta-analysis on mindfulness-based interventions for adolescents’ stress, depression, and anxiety in school settings: A cautionary tale. Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 28(2), 307–317. doi: 10.1111/camh.12572
Goodenow, C. (1993). The psychological sense of school membership among adolescents: Scale development and educational correlates. Psychology in the Schools, 30(1), 79–90. doi: 10.1002/1520-6807(199301)30:1<79::AID-PITS2310300113>3.0.CO;2-X
Guest, G., Bunce, A., & Johnson, L. (2006). How many interviews are enough? An experiment with data saturation and variability. Field Methods, 18(1), 59–82. doi: 10.1177/1525822X05279903
Kallio, H., Pietilä, A. M., Johnson, M., & Kangasniemi, M. (2016). Systematic methodological review: Developing a framework for a qualitative semi-structured interview guide. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 72(12), 2954–2965. doi: 10.1111/jan.13031
Korpershoek, H., Canrinus, E. T., Fokkens-Bruinsma, M., & de Boer, H. (2020). The relationships between school belonging and students’ motivational, social-emotional, behavioural, and academic outcomes in secondary education: A meta-analytic review. Research Papers in Education, 35(6), 641–680. doi: 10.1080/02671522.2019.1615116
Kuyken, W., Ball, S., Crane, C., Ganguli, P., Jones, B., Montero-Marin, J., Nuthall, E., Raja, A., Taylor, L., Tudor, K., Viner, R. M., Allwood, M., Aukland, L., Dunning, D., Casey, T., Dalrymple, N., De Wilde, K., Farley, E. R., Harper, J., ... Williams, J. M. G. (2022). Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of universal school-based mindfulness training compared with normal school provision in reducing risk of mental health problems and promoting well-being in adolescence: The MYRIAD cluster randomised controlled trial. Evidence-Based Mental Health, 25(3), 99–109. doi: 10.1136/ebmental-2021-300396
Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Sage.
Long, E., Zucca, C., & Sweeting, H. (2021). School climate, peer relationships, and adolescent mental health: A social ecological perspective. Youth & Society, 53(8), 1400–1415. doi: 10.1177/0044118X20970232
Montero-Marin, J., Allwood, M., Ball, S., Crane, C., De Wilde, K., Hinze, V., Jones, B., Lord, L., Nuthall, E., Raja, A., Taylor, L., Tudor, K., MYRIAD Team, Blakemore, S. J., Byford, S., Dalgleish, T., Ford, T., Greenberg, M. T., Ukoumunne, O. C., Williams, J. M. G., & Kuyken, W. (2022). School-based mindfulness training in early adolescence: What works, for whom and how in the MYRIAD trial? Evidence-Based Mental Health, 25(3), 117–124. doi: 10.1136/ebmental-2022-300439
Nowell, L. S., Norris, J. M., White, D. E., & Moules, N. J. (2017). Thematic analysis: Striving to meet the trustworthiness criteria. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 16(1), 1–13. doi: 10.1177/1609406917733847
Osterman, K. F. (2000). Students’ need for belonging in the school community. Review of Educational Research, 70(3), 323–367. doi: 10.3102/00346543070003323
Parker, J. G., & Asher, S. R. (1993). Friendship and friendship quality in middle childhood: Links with peer group acceptance and feelings of loneliness and social dissatisfaction. Developmental Psychology, 29(4), 611–621. doi: 10.1037/0012-1649.29.4.611
Ryff, C. D. (2014). Psychological well-being revisited: Advances in the science and practice of eudaimonia. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 83(1), 10–28. doi: 10.1159/000353263
Ryff, C. D., & Keyes, C. L. M. (1995). The structure of psychological well-being revisited. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69(4), 719–727. doi: 10.1037/0022-3514.69.4.719
Schonert-Reichl, K. A., & Lawlor, M. S. (2010). The effects of a mindfulness-based education program on pre- and early adolescents’ well-being and social and emotional competence. Mindfulness, 1, 137–151. doi: 10.1007/s12671-010-0011-8
Wentzel, K. R. (1998). Social relationships and motivation in middle school: The role of parents, teachers, and peers. Journal of Educational Psychology, 90(2), 202–209. doi: 10.1037/0022-0663.90.2.202
Widnall, E., Winstone, L., Plackett, R., Adams, E. A., Haworth, C. M. A., Mars, B., & Kidger, J. (2022). Impact of school and peer connectedness on adolescent mental health and well-being outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic: A longitudinal panel survey. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(11), 6768. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19116768
Zenner, C., Herrnleben-Kurz, S., & Walach, H. (2014). Mindfulness-based interventions in schools: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Psychology, 5, 603. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00603
