A review of scientific theories used to justify the delivery of school-based mindfulness programmes . A protocol for a scoping review

Background Mindfulness-based interventions are increasingly delivered in schools with the aim of promoting the mental wellbeing of pupils. The apparent success of such interventions has led to calls for mindfulness to be included in the school curriculum. However, the findings are more mixed than is often acknowledged and this may in part be because the theories justifying are rarely considered. Understanding the scientific theories underpinning SBMIs may improve the outcomes from interventions. In this paper we outline our scoping review protocol to systematically review the literature to map the scientific theories that have been identified to justify using school-based mindfulness interventions to promote pupils’ wellbeing.~Methods~ The scoping review methodology will guide the conduct of the review. We will limit our search to scholarly databases and PhD theses to ensure the credibility of the theories. The following databases will be used: MEDLINE, PsychINFO, Web of Science Core Collection, PubMed Central, Scopus and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses. Two reviewers will independently screen all abstracts and full-text studies for inclusion. We will include any study that includes a theoretical explanation linking a mindfulness intervention with its impact. Information from the papers will be extracted using a framework developed by the team.Discussion The scoping review will map, classify and compare scientific theories that have been used in the literature to justify the use of school-based mindfulness intervention to promote pupils’ mental wellbeing. The findings will be disseminated through a peer -reviewed journal article, conference presentations, our project website and social media.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.Clinical TrialnaFunding StatementThe research is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR133712) using UK aid from the UK Government to support global health research.Author DeclarationsI confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained.YesThe details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below:The University of Aberdeen, Addis Ababa University, the University of RwandaI confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals.YesI understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance).Yes I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines, such as any relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material, if applicable.YesAll the data for the project of which the literature review described in the protocol is part will be made available on completion of the project.