Effects of a Digital Brief Mindfulness Protocol on Repetitive Negative Thinking and Emotional Dysregulation in Adolescent-Caregiver Dyads

ABSTRACT In this pre-experimental pilot study, the Mindfulness Training for Overthinking Reduction (MTOR) protocol was delivered to adolescent – caregiver dyads in Bogotá, Colombia. Nine dyads completed the intervention, while seven withdrew (44 percent attrition rate). Assessments at pretest, posttest, and one‑month follow‑up showed significant reductions in repetitive negative thinking and emotion dysregulation for both adolescents and their female caregivers. Reflective parenting skills also improved (caregivers χ2 (2) = 8.22, p < .05; reflective parenting: χ2 (2) = 6.89, p < .05), whereas global positive parenting remained unchanged – a finding that may be attributable to the limited duration of the parenting component. Among completers, compliance was high (80–100 percent activity completion for adolescents and90–100 percent activity completion for caregivers), supported by brief in‑person sessions and WhatsApp follow‑up. Although preliminary, these findings suggest that MTOR may help support emotional well‑being and parent – adolescent interactions in similar community settings. Future research should extend the duration of parenting components, employ randomized controlled designs, and include larger, more diverse samples to validate and elaborate on these results.