Effects of an eight-week mindfulness-informed psychoeducational intervention delivered during physical education lessons on self-reported aggression and impulsivity in adolescents
4 affiliations
- 1Higher Institute of Sport and Physical Education of Ksar-Said, University of Manouba, Manouba, Tunisia
- 2Research Laboratory (LR23JS01) Sport Performance, Health & Society, Higher Institute of Sport and Physical Education of Ksar-Said, University of Manouba, Manouba, Tunisia
- 3Tunisian Research Laboratory ‘Sports Performance Optimization' (CNMSS-LR09SEP01), National Center of Medicine and Science in Sports (CNMSS), Tunis, Tunisia
- 4Department of Sport Sciences and Physical Education, Nord University, Levanger, Norway
Abstract
Aggression and impulsivity are prevalent behavioral tendencies in adolescents that may negatively affect academic performance, social interactions, and engagement during physical education (PE). Although mindfulness-based interventions have shown promise for improving emotional and behavioral regulation, evidence of their effectiveness when delivered within school PE settings remains limited. This study investigated the effects of an 8–week mindfulness-informed psychoeducational intervention delivered during PE lessons on self–reported aggression and impulsivity among high school students. Thirty-nine students (16.05 ± 0.55 years; 51% boys) were randomly assigned to either a mindfulness group (n = 20) or a control group (n = 19). The mindfulness group participated in two brief sessions per week incorporating mindfulness-oriented practices, including focused attention, conscious breathing, and body awareness, together with psychoeducational and sport-related psychological strategies, including positive affirmations, self-encouragement, and performance imagery, whereas the control group followed the standard PE curriculum. General self-reported aggression and impulsivity were assessed before and after the intervention using the Aggression Questionnaire (AQ) and the Barratt Impulsivity Scale (BIS-11). Data were analyzed using repeated-measures analysis of variance and effect sizes. Significant group–by–time interactions were observed for verbal aggression, physical aggression, hostility, non-planned impulsivity, and total impulsivity, indicating that changes over time differed between the mindfulness and control groups for these outcomes. The direction of these interactions was characterized by reductions in verbal aggression (-33.5%), physical aggression (-32.4%), non-planned impulsivity (-13.1%), and total impulsivity (-10.5%) in the mindfulness group, while the control group showed increases in verbal aggression and hostility and no significant improvements in impulsivity. Although motor impulsivity decreased by 11.6% within the mindfulness group, the group–by–time interaction. was not significant; therefore, this within-group change was not interpreted as evidence of a differential intervention effect. These findings suggest that a brief mindfulness-informed psychoeducational intervention delivered during PE lessons was associated with differential changes in verbal aggression, physical aggression, hostility, non-planned impulsivity, and total impulsivity relative to the control condition. These findings support the potential feasibility of integrating mindfulness-informed psychoeducational strategies within school PE while recognizing that the outcomes assessed general dispositions rather than behaviors occurring specifically during PE lessons.
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BibTeX
@article{selmi2026effects,
title = {{Effects of an eight-week mindfulness-informed psychoeducational intervention delivered during physical education lessons on self-reported aggression and impulsivity in adolescents}},
author = {Walid Selmi and Achraf Hammami and Said Ben Hassen and Yassine Negra and Raouf Hammami and Roland van den Tillaar},
journal = {Frontiers in Psychology},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1958309},
url = {https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1958309},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Effects of an eight-week mindfulness-informed psychoeducational intervention delivered during physical education lessons on self-reported aggression and impulsivity in adolescents
AU - Walid Selmi
AU - Achraf Hammami
AU - Said Ben Hassen
AU - Yassine Negra
AU - Raouf Hammami
AU - Roland van den Tillaar
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/12
JO - Frontiers in Psychology
DO - 10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1958309
UR - https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1958309
AB - Aggression and impulsivity are prevalent behavioral tendencies in adolescents that may negatively affect academic performance, social interactions, and engagement during physical education (PE). Although mindfulness-based interventions have shown promise for improving emotional and behavioral regulation, evidence of their effectiveness when delivered within school PE settings remains limited. This study investigated the effects of an 8–week mindfulness-informed psychoeducational intervention delivered during PE lessons on self–reported aggression and impulsivity among high school students. Thirty-nine students (16.05 ± 0.55 years; 51% boys) were randomly assigned to either a mindfulness group (n = 20) or a control group (n = 19). The mindfulness group participated in two brief sessions per week incorporating mindfulness-oriented practices, including focused attention, conscious breathing, and body awareness, together with psychoeducational and sport-related psychological strategies, including positive affirmations, self-encouragement, and performance imagery, whereas the control group followed the standard PE curriculum. General self-reported aggression and impulsivity were assessed before and after the intervention using the Aggression Questionnaire (AQ) and the Barratt Impulsivity Scale (BIS-11). Data were analyzed using repeated-measures analysis of variance and effect sizes. Significant group–by–time interactions were observed for verbal aggression, physical aggression, hostility, non-planned impulsivity, and total impulsivity, indicating that changes over time differed between the mindfulness and control groups for these outcomes. The direction of these interactions was characterized by reductions in verbal aggression (-33.5%), physical aggression (-32.4%), non-planned impulsivity (-13.1%), and total impulsivity (-10.5%) in the mindfulness group, while the control group showed increases in verbal aggression and hostility and no significant improvements in impulsivity. Although motor impulsivity decreased by 11.6% within the mindfulness group, the group–by–time interaction. was not significant; therefore, this within-group change was not interpreted as evidence of a differential intervention effect. These findings suggest that a brief mindfulness-informed psychoeducational intervention delivered during PE lessons was associated with differential changes in verbal aggression, physical aggression, hostility, non-planned impulsivity, and total impulsivity relative to the control condition. These findings support the potential feasibility of integrating mindfulness-informed psychoeducational strategies within school PE while recognizing that the outcomes assessed general dispositions rather than behaviors occurring specifically during PE lessons.
SN - 1664-1078
ER -