Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Intervention for Emotional and Behavioural Problems of Students With Visual Impairment

The study is designed to assess the Emotional and Behavioural Problems (EBPs) of Students with Visual Impairment studying at special education schools for impaired vision and to evaluate the relationship between the scores of psychosocial predictors that are associated with EBPs and selected demographic variables of these students. According to a literature review among all types of disabilities, a high occurrence of psychological disorder was found in VI children. So, the present study aimed to assist students with visual impairment in controlling the occurrence of different emotional and behavioural problems. Additionally, the current study will be advantageous for instructors, coaches, and policymakers to consider the role of educational psychologists in special school settings. Visual impairment can cause problems in daily life, but a person with sound mental health can better deal with it. So, the present study will contribute a lot to society by improving the life quality of these special children. Students with visual impairment in their school settings will utilize the practice of MBSR to reduce stress and to increase their emotional and adaptive behaviours. The purpose of current research is to integrate mindfulness practices in special school settings to provide the behavioural support for adolescents with visual disabilities so that they can be more successful both socially and academically.

Sample The present study will be conducted with students who will be Visually Impaired (partial or complete). Data will also be collected from their respective parents. The sample will be taken from different schools of blinds, centers, and special schools in Rawalpindi/Islamabad. The age group of samples will range from 13 to 17 years. Purposive sampling will be used and those participants will be selected who will be available and volunteer to participate at the time of data collection. Data will be collected in one-on-one interviews by oral administration of questionnaires.

MBSR will be translated and adapted into Urdu language. Permission to translate into Urdu language will be taken from the relevant authority. In the first phase, participants will be initially asked about demographic variables. The researcher would identify the psychosocial predictors of emotional and behavioural problems of students with Visual Impairment based on the scores of Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21), Parental Acceptance and Rejection Questionnaire (Child PARQ), Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) and Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale-Adolescents (MAAS-A). Further emotional and behavioural problems of the students with visual impairment will identify by SDQ Self and SDQ Parent report form scores. Participants will be assured about the confidentiality of the data and its findings that will only be used for the cause of the research project.

In the second phase cohort would be identified from the participants who would score high on DASS-21, Child PARQ, SDQ Self, and SDQ Parent report form and low on MSPSS & MAAS-A. They would be screened out as potential cohorts for Randomized Control trials (RCT). Participants would be randomly assigned to interventional and control groups by using the random number method. Participants who would be assigned to the interventional group will be exposed to the Urdu-translated and adapted Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) training. Students who would be assigned to the interventional group will receive 8 weeks of therapeutic intervention however the students who are randomly assigned to the control group will be given no intervention. The MBSR training program consisted of 8-week group sessions with a duration of 50 to 90 minutes each. Each week will focus on a particular theme related to the emotional and behavioural problems of students with Visual Impairment. After the successful completion of 8 weeks of MBSR training both groups will appear for post-assessment. The same aforementioned measures will be used in post-assessment.