Literature Review

Preparation of the literature review should follow a certain outline and contain sections that

correspond to the population of focus, your independent variables, and dependent variable.

Please note your paper will be a full narrative format rather than an outline. This is to give you

an idea of the structure only.

Page 1 (not included in page count):

Research Question: Among Native Hawaiian teenagers (ages 13-17) with severe behavior

problems, are scores on the Conduct Disorder Scale decreased moreso using mindfulness-based

stress reduction or behavioral therapy?

Hypothesis: Mindfulness-based stress reduction will decrease severe behavior problems,

operationally defined as scores on the Conduct Disorder Scale, more so than behavioral therapy

among Native Hawaiian teenagers (ages 13-17).

Independent variables:

1. Mindfulness-based stress reduction

2. Behavioral therapy

Dependent variable:

1. Severe behavior problems

a. (Notes to myself and you only, not included in paper - Aggressive Conduct,

Non-aggressive Conduct, Deceitfulness and Theft, Rule Violations) → note:

these four domains of severe behavior problems are the four domains

measured in the conduct disorder scale. I’m using these to create a thread

throughout my papers so I am always discussing the same concepts

Operational definition of dependent variable:

Severe behavior problems include aggressive conduct, non-aggressive conduct, deceitfulness and

theft, as well as rule violations and are operationally defined as scores on the Conduct Disorder

Scale (Gilliam, 2002).

Beginning on page 2:

The literature review would comprise five sections:

1. Describe and define severe behavior problems (briefly)

2. The magnitude of the problem (severe problem behavior in adolescents) (use government

sources (CDC, NIH, and others as well as peer-reviewed articles)

a. Quantify severe behavior problems among teenagers in general

i. The Institute of Medicine has established that disruptive behavior

problems occur in 6.1% of children and adolescents, and conduct disorders

occur in 3.5% of this age group (National Research Council and Institute

of Medicine, 2009).

b. Quantify severe behavior problems among Native Hawaiian teenagers

i. Native Hawaiian adolescents are significantly more likely to have any

DSM diagnosis. Disruptive behavior comorbidities are higher for boys

(Liu & Alameda, 2011).

c. The consequences of untreated aggressive severe behavior problems

i. Aggression in adolescents is an established predictor for antisocial

behaviors in adulthood (Olweus, 2011; Ttofi , Farrington, & Lösel, 2012)

3. Mindfulness-based stress reduction as a treatment for severe behavior problems (use

peer-reviewed articles – start general and then see if you can find studies on specific age

and ethic/race focus)

a. What is mindfulness-based stress reduction?

b. Mindfulness-based stress reduction as a treatment for severe behavior problems

(in general, across age groups / race / ethnicity): Ex: Mindfulness-based stress

reduction resulted in significant improvement in hostility, self-esteem, and mood

disturbance among institutionalized individuals in Massachusetts correctional

facilities. Women improved on these areas more than men, and improvements

were also greater for men in a minimum-security, pre-release facility when

compared to men in four medium-security facilities (Samuelson et al., 2007).

c. Mindfulness-based stress reduction as a treatment for severe behavior problems in

adolescents (use peer-reviewed articles)

i. When compared to treatment-as-usual, adolescents receiving mindfulness-

based stress reduction in an outpatient setting demonstrated reduced

symptoms of anxiety, depression, and somatic distress, and increased self-

esteem and sleep quality (Biegel et al., 2009).

d. Mindfulness-based stress reduction as a treatment for severe behavior problems in

Native Hawaiian adolescents (use peer-reviewed articles or note that there aren’t

any)

i. While there are very few studies specifically examining the use of

mindfulness-based stress reduction with Native Hawaiian adolescents, Le

and Proulx (2015) investigated if a mindfulness-based intervention is

acceptable to incarcerated mixed-ethnic Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander

youth, and whether the intervention improves youth’s stress level and

results in more skillful response to stress. The results indicated

improvement signaled by a decrease of cortisol response and improved

secretory immunoglobulin A (SIgA) response to stress. In addition, the

adolescents self-reported lower perceived stress. While additional studies

are needed, the authors began to see improvements in impulsivity, self-

regulation, and mindfulness, though these were not statistically significant

over baseline scores.

4. Behavior therapy as a treatment for severe behavior problems (use peer-reviewed

articles)

a. What is behavior therapy?

b. Behavior therapy as a treatment for severe behavior problems (in general, across

age groups / race / ethnicity)

c. Behavior therapy as a treatment for severe behavior problems in Native Hawaiian

adolescents (use peer-reviewed articles or note that there aren’t any)

5. The gap and the intent of the current proposed study

a. Little is known about the effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction for

treating adolescent conditions (Biegel et al., 2009).

b. There are no studies examining treatments for severe behavior problems among

Native Hawaiian teenagers

c. The proposed study seeks to determine whether mindfulness-based stress

reduction or behavioral therapy is more effective in reducing severe behavior

problems among Native Hawaiian teenagers (ages 13-17).

Please note this outline is to give you an idea of the flow and ordering of your literature review.

You will write a full narrative paper rather than an outline.

References:

Biegel, G. M., Brown, K. W., Shapiro, S. L., & Schubert, C. M. (2009). Mindfulness-based

stress reduction for the treatment of adolescent psychiatric outpatients: A randomized

clinical trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 77(5), 855-866.

https://doi.org/10.1037/a0016241

Gilliam, J. E. (2002). Conduct Disorder Scale: Examiner's manual. Pro-ed: Austin, TX.

Le, T. N., & Proulx, J. (2015). Feasibility of mindfulness-based intervention for incarcerated

mixed-ethnic Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander youth. Asian American Journal of

Psychology, 6(2), 181-189. https://doi.org/10.1037/aap0000019

Liu, D. M., & Alameda, C. K. (2011). Social determinants of health for Native Hawaiian

children and adolescents. Hawai’i Medical Journal, 70(11 Suppl 2), 9-14.

National Research Council and Institute of Medicine. (2009). Preventing mental, emotional, and

behavioral disorders among young people: Progress and possibilities. Washington, DC:

The National Academies Press.

Samuelson, M., Carmody, J., Kabat-Zinn, J., & Bratt, M. A. (2007). Mindfulness-based stress

reduction in Massachusetts correctional facilities. The Prison Journal, 87(2), 254-268.

https://doi.org/10.1177/0032885507303753