Michael Tumminia
PhD Candidate, Applied Developmental Psychology, University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
Actions
Michael J. Tumminia is a 5th Year PhD Candidate in Applied Developmental Psychology at the University of Pittsburgh and works in his advisor Dr. Brian Galla’s Mindfulness and Self-Regulation Lab. In his research, he utilizes both quantitative and qualitative methods to examine how mindfulness training can support positive youth development from adolescence to emerging adulthood. He also leads mindfulness training workshops and has worked with a variety of groups including student-athletes, coaches, athletic staff, and business corporations.
Area of Expertise
Topics
Longitudinal associations between mindfulness and meaning in life in adolescents
In recent years, there has been a proliferation of scientific interest in mindfulness and its effects on reducing dysfunction among adolescents. While this body of literature has tended to endorse a “deficit” model, less work has focused on mindfulness and its associations with youth flourishing and the capacity to find meaning and purpose in life. In the current analysis, we test longitudinal associations between mindfulness and meaning in life in two data sets from similar, yet separate high schools.
Students (Study 1, Exploratory: N = 599; Study 2, Confirmatory, Preregistered: N = 1,093) completed self-report measures of mindfulness and meaning in life three times during an entire academic year. Cross-lagged panel models with lag-1 effects (CL1PM) were utilized to test for prospective, reciprocal associations between mindfulness and meaning in life.
In both studies, results revealed that higher levels of mindfulness significantly (p <.05) prospectively predicted higher levels of meaning in life, and that higher levels of meaning in life significantly (p <.05) prospectively predicted higher levels of mindfulness.
Overall, this study provides evidence for bidirectional, longitudinal associations between mindfulness and meaning in life during adolescence; a developmental period that can be viewed as a "window of opportunity" for cultivating positive mental capacities.
Adolescents’ Experiences of Distress and Well-being During Intensive Mindfulness Practice
In recent years, mindfulness has gone mainstream, reaching many adolescents through school programs and smartphone applications. Yet there is little empirical understanding of what mindfulness practice is like for adolescents. In this talk, I will share the findings of a mixed-methods study that captured adolescents’ experiences as they embarked on a period of intensive mindfulness practice. Implications for adolescent development and contemplative science will be discussed.
Twenty-three youth participated in a 6-day mindfulness retreat and completed self-report surveys, daily diaries, and discussed their experiences during mindfulness practice in focus groups. Qualitative data were analyzed to categorize common patterns of experiences and quantitative data were examined for subgroup differences.
Adolescents reported an array of experiences of distress from cognitive, to emotional, and physical distress during mindfulness practice. They also described a range of well-being experiences from cognitive, to emotional, and to social well-being. The frequency of experiences of distress and well-being reported were relatively balanced overall, yet girls and experienced meditators reported greater distress.
This study paints a descriptive picture of adolescents’ experiences during mindfulness practice and suggests that their experiences might reflect core developmental concerns.
Michael Tumminia
PhD Candidate, Applied Developmental Psychology, University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
Actions
Please note that Sessionize is not responsible for the accuracy or validity of the data provided by speakers. If you suspect this profile to be fake or spam, please let us know.
Jump to top