The impact of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy on math anxiety in adolescents

Abstract

In this nonconcurrent, multiple-baseline, single-subject research study, the authors conducted a preliminary exploration of whether mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) can be expanded to the treatment of math anxiety. Three high school students who were assessed with high levels of math anxiety met individually twice a week for 6 weeks with the school counselor who used a manualized MBCT treatment for anxiety as the intervention. A weekly administration of a math anxiety measurement tool showed a decrease in math anxiety for all three participants.

Keywords:

• Adolescent behavior
• math anxiety
• mindfulness-based cognitive therapy

Additional information

Notes on contributors

April LaGue

April LaGue is an instructor in the Counseling Academic Unit at Oregon State University. She has served in the role of school counselor at all levels of K-12 public schools. Her current research interests include math anxiety in adolescence, the influence of motivational interviewing on students’ outcomes, developing and supporting the professional school counselor identity, and curriculum development within online learning platforms.

Gene Eakin

Gene Eakin is an instructor in the Counseling Academic Unit at Oregon State University. He is starting his 43rd year of service to the school counseling profession in Oregon either as a school counselor or school counselor educator. His expertise is the use of motivational interviewing and influencer leadership strategies in the school counseling field.

Cass Dykeman

Cass Dykeman is an associate professor in the Counseling Academic Unit at Oregon State University. He is the author of 2 books, 32 book chapters, and 41 peer-reviewed articles. His expertise is the use of corpus linguistics in counseling research. Prior to working in higher education, Cass was an elementary and high school counselor in Seattle.