Improvisational theatre, meditation, and games support anxious teens

 Emotional difficulties among young people have increased, particularly since the Covid-19 pandemic. In this context, developing social and emotional skills can help strengthen their ability to cope with challenges. A team from the University of Geneva (UNIGE), in collaboration with UniDistance Suisse, the University of Fribourg and Geneva University Hospitals (HUG), examined the effects of regular classroom practice of improvisational theatre, mindfulness meditation and board games designed to explore emotions. Their findings show that these activities have a protective effect on the mental health and self-efficacy of adolescents with the highest levels of anxiety. Improvisational theatre, in particular, fosters the development of empathy and collaboration, regardless of students' anxiety levels. The findings have been published in Social and Emotional Learning: Research, Practice, and Policy.

Adolescence is a key stage of development, characterised by heightened emotional vulnerability. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), one in seven young people aged 10 to 19 lives with a mental health condition. In this context, developing social and emotional skills offers a promising way to support both academic success and young people's ability to cope with the challenges of adolescence, particularly for those who are most vulnerable. Identifying approaches that are both effective and well suited to this age group is therefore an important priority.

A team from UNIGE, in collaboration with researchers from UniDistance Suisse, the University of Fribourg and Geneva University Hospitals (HUG), compared the effects of three classroom-based activities: improvisational theatre, mindfulness meditation and board games designed to explore emotions. The study involved 300 students aged 15 and over enrolled in three Geneva schools providing pre-vocational and upper secondary education.

Over a nine-week period, the classes took part in a weekly 90-minute session dedicated to one of the three activities. A fourth group attended a 90-minute weekly office skills course focused on job seeking, with no social or emotional content, over the same period. Before and after the programme, the researchers assessed a range of outcomes, including emotional and behavioural difficulties, self-efficacy, emotion regulation, empathy, emotion recognition and willingness to collaborate. The adolescents who took part in the programme often faced multiple vulnerabilities, including emotional and school-related challenges, and some were at high risk of dropping out of school.
 
A Protective Effect Among the Most Anxious Participants

The findings did not show an overall improvement in students’ social and emotional skills. However, they did reveal different effects depending on students’ anxiety levels at the start of the study. At that point, almost one in three participants had moderate to high levels of anxiety.
 
In the control group, young people’s emotional and behavioural difficulties increased over the nine-week period, while their self-efficacy declined. Self-efficacy refers to a person’s confidence in their ability to cope with challenges and act effectively. By contrast, among adolescents who took part in improvisational theatre, mindfulness meditation or board games, these two measures remained broadly stable. The researchers even observed a slight reduction in emotional and interpersonal difficulties among the most anxious students who practised mindfulness meditation.
 
“The most important finding is not a dramatic improvement among all students, but rather that these activities appear to have prevented a decline in those who were already the most vulnerable,” explains Nathalie Mella, senior lecturer at the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences (FPSE) and associate researcher at UNIGE’s Interfaculty Centre for Affective Sciences (CISA), who co-led the study with Gwladys Rey, scientific associate at the FPSE. “This highlights the importance of asking not only whether an intervention works on average, but also who is most likely to benefit from it.”
 
Improvisational theatre fosters empathy and collaboration

Improvisational theatre also stood out from the other two activities. After nine sessions, the students who took part showed an increase in cognitive empathy — that is, their ability to adopt another person’s perspective and understand their intentions — as well as a greater willingness to collaborate. These changes were observed regardless of their initial anxiety levels.
 
“Improvisational theatre creates a kind of social laboratory: students must express their emotions, recognise those of others, and adapt to one another in real time, while working in a playful setting where mistakes can become a resource,” say Nathalie Mella and David Sander, professor at the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences (FPSE) and at UNIGE’s Interfaculty Centre for Affective Sciences (CISA), who also led the study. This was the activity students enjoyed the most. Such engagement is particularly important during adolescence, when interventions that feel too prescriptive or too similar to traditional classroom teaching can lead to disengagement.
 
This study suggests that schools can provide, in regular classroom settings, experiential, playful and socially connected spaces that support the most vulnerable adolescents. The findings therefore highlight the value of approaches that place active participation, peer interaction and a sense of safety within the group at the heart of educational practice. Supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), the research team is now building on this work through a new study focusing on improvisational theatre and its effects on students from migrant backgrounds.

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Journal

Social and Emotional Learning Research Practice and Policy

DOI

10.1016/j.sel.2026.100213 

Grade 9–10 Math Coursetaking Sequences, Advanced Math Outcomes, & Students’ Course Decisions

How do students’ early high school math coursetaking sequences relate to later access to advanced math courses? Tacoma Public Schools has implemented an Algebra for All policy for grade 8 students to expand access to advanced math and strengthen preparation for college and technical and scientific careers. The Regional Educational Laboratory Northwest worked with Tacoma Public Schools to examine the grade 9–10 math coursetaking sequences students follow after Algebra I in grade 8, how those sequences relate to advanced math course enrollment and success by grade 12, and what factors shape students’ course placement decisions.  Key findings include:  About two-thirds of students followed one of two grade 9–10 math sequences: repeating Algebra I in grade 9 and then taking geometry in grade 10 or taking geometry in grade 9 and Algebra II in grade 10.  Students who repeated Algebra I or took remedial math in grade 9 were less likely to enroll in and pass an advanced math course by grade 12.  Students who took Algebra II before geometry had stronger advanced math outcomes, but this sequence was available at only one high school.  Black, Hispanic, and multiracial students; English learner students; students receiving special education services; students eligible for the National School Lunch Program; and male students were more likely to repeat Algebra I or take remedial math.  Interviews indicated that teacher recommendations, differences in course offerings across schools, limited student choice, and unclear placement rules contributed to students’ course sequences.  Read the full report and technical appendix on the Institute for Educational Sciences website.

Nicotine use linked to mental health problems in adolescents

 

Adolescents who use nicotine are more likely to report symptoms of anxiety, depression, and other mental health problems than their peers who do not use nicotine. Girls appear to be particularly vulnerable, according to three recent studies from the University of Gothenburg. 

In one study of nearly 3,000 Swedish high school students, almost 80 percent of the girls who used nicotine reported clinically relevant symptoms of anxiety. The associations were found for both traditional tobacco products and tobacco-free nicotine products such as nicotine pouches and e-cigarettes. 

The researchers also followed approximately 1,500 adolescents in southern Sweden over time, from lower secondary school through high school. Depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation were more common among adolescents who smoked. Girls who increased their tobacco use over time were also more likely to experience worsening sleep problems, anxiety, low mood, and difficulties concentrating. The researchers say the marked differences between girls and boys warrant further investigation. 

Girls may be particularly vulnerable 

Johanna Andersson, physician and PhD student at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, is one of the lead authors: 

“We see clear differences between girls and boys, with girls who smoke appearing to be particularly vulnerable. At the same time, we need a better understanding of how nicotine pouches affect mental health, especially among adolescent girls, where the use of nicotine pouches has increased so rapidly,” she says. 

The findings come from questionnaire-based studies and long-term follow-up of adolescents, combined with experiments in rats examining how nicotine affects neuronal signaling. In the animal study, published in the journal Neuropharmacology, the researchers found that nicotine affected the amygdala, a brain region that plays a key role in emotional regulation and stress responses. The effects were most pronounced in female rats. 

Nicotine alters neuronal communication 

Nicotine altered communication between neurons and produced long-lasting changes in brain activity that persisted even after the nicotine had left the body. 

Louise Adermark, Professor at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, is one of the principal investigators behind the studies. 

“One of the key findings is that we see similar patterns across several different studies using different types of data. However, we still cannot determine cause and effect. The animal studies demonstrate biological changes in the brain that could contribute to increased vulnerability to anxiety and stress-related symptoms,” says Louise Adermark. 

The researchers emphasize that socioeconomic factors, stress, alcohol use, other substance use, and individual vulnerability also influence the risk of both mental health problems and nicotine use. At the same time, they say the findings raise questions about how new nicotine products affect the developing brain and whether girls may be particularly sensitive to the effects of nicotine. 

Studies:

Sex-specific associations between tobacco use and youth mental health: prospective and cross-sectional findings from Swedish adolescents (Nicotine & Tobacco Research, June 2026) https://doi.org/10.1093/ntr/ntag148

Gender-Specific Associations Between Tobacco and Tobacco-Free Nicotine Use and Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression in Swedish Adolescents (Tobacco Use Insights, May 2026) https://doi.org/10.1177/1179173X261455075

Nicotine produces a sex- and subregion-specific hypoglutamatergic state in rodent amygdala which can be reversed by motor-skill training (Neuropharmacology, February 2026) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropharm.2026.110879

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Journal

Nicotine & Tobacco Research

DOI

10.1093/ntr/ntag148 

How spe­cial­ist mu­sic pro­grams sup­port mu­si­cally gifted chil­dren

 Unfortunately, a child’s musical giftedness has not always been solely an advantage. Many gifted figures in classical music, such as Ludwig van Beethoven and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and in popular music, such as Michael Jackson and Britney Spears, suffered harsh treatment because of their exceptional abilities as children. These sad examples prompt an important question: have we learned from the mistakes of the past? How are gifted children treated in music education today?

This question was explored extensively in a project funded by the Research Council of Finland and led by Guadalupe López-Íñiguez. The project gathered responses from 81 leaders representing 68 specialist music programmes across 25 countries. Bringing together multidisciplinary perspectives on how specialist music programmes educate and support musically gifted children around the world, the study also provides the most comprehensive international picture to date of how gifted children are educated and supported within these programmes.

Joint research articles by Academy Research Fellow Guadalupe López-Íñiguez and Professor Gary E. McPherson reveal a fundamental tension in specialist music education. Some programmes primarily focus on preparing future professional musicians and advancing institutional or national excellence and prestige. In such cases, there is a risk that the needs of the system take precedence over the needs of the child. Other programmes place greater emphasis on children’s holistic development, psychological needs, wellbeing, and childhood rights.

“Rather than finding a single model of gifted education in music, we found a spectrum of approaches,” says Guadalupe López-Íñiguez from the Sibelius Academy, University of the Arts Helsinki.

“Many leaders are striving to balance artistic excellence with genuine care for children, but they also acknowledge that there is considerable room for improvement.”

Limited empirical evidence for wellbeing practices

The first study mapped specialist music programmes worldwide, examining their educational missions, leadership perspectives, and the challenges they face.

Although programme leaders consistently valued high-quality musical training, they also described ongoing dilemmas involving heavy student workloads, performance pressure, inadequate safeguarding measures, mental and physical health concerns, unequal access to opportunities, and the challenge of balancing intensive music studies with children’s broader educational and personal development.

The second study explored what caring leadership looks like within these highly specialised environments. Leaders responsible for developing and running these programmes described initiatives including counselling services, safeguarding policies, stronger communication with families, peer support, teacher development, and greater attention to students’ emotional wellbeing. However, the research also found that these practices remain unevenly distributed across programmes and that evidence of their impact on students’ health and wellbeing remains limited.

Supporting children as whole human beings is fundamental to excellence

“Similarly to other sub-studies within the project, these findings do not suggest that excellence and care are opposing goals,” explains Professor McPherson from the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music at the University of Melbourne.

“Instead, they show that the highest-quality programmes increasingly recognise that supporting gifted children as whole human beings is fundamental to sustaining artistic excellence.”

López-Íñiguez adds that this recognition is only part of the solution: “Care for the whole child should be a non-negotiable obligation of every educational environment, whereas artistic excellence should always remain a child’s choice, never something imposed, whether or not they are gifted.” 

Because both articles are published Open Access, educators, researchers, policymakers, families, and music students can freely access the findings. The researchers hope the work will encourage continued international dialogue about how specialist music programmes can balance outstanding artistic training with children’s wellbeing, rights, and long-term development.

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Journal

Gifted Education International

DOI

10.1177/02614294251360614 

Study links student gambling problems to mental health

 

As gambling becomes more accessible to college students, a statewide study of Mississippi's public universities found gambling problems frequently occur alongside depression, anxiety and substance use.

The findings suggest policymakers, parents and healthcare officials should recognize gambling problems as a potential sign that a student may need broader mental health support, researchers said.

In a study of more than 1,800 students attending college at Mississippi's eight public universities, researchers found that nearly 1 in 4 gambled and 7% showed signs of a gambling problem. The study, published in International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, also revealed that students with gambling problems are more likely to report problems with mental health.

"Students were really, really struggling," said Nicholas McAfee, director of the William Magee Center for AOD and Wellness Education at the University of Mississippi and lead author on the study. "Almost every student in the sample reported some increased level of mental health concern. It didn't matter what school you went to; it was just across the board.

"What's interesting about this study is even though mental health concerns were very prominent, students who tended to gamble more were more likely to be experiencing greater levels of problems among a sample that was already experiencing plenty."

The survey took place in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, when many casinos were closed. In the years since the study began, access to gambling has only increased.

Prediction markets offer opportunities to place wagers on future events at any time using a cellphone. In-person or online sports betting has become legal in 38 states, with 30 allowing online betting.  

"A lot has changed since the study began, but what unfortunately hasn't changed is access to evidence-based care and treatment or intervention strategies," McAfee said. "This is not a Mississippi thing; we as a country are trying to figure out how to address the proliferation of gambling among young adults and college-age adults, which are of the most at-risk populations."

As sports betting and other forms of online wagering expand, colleges, parents and legislators should be prepared to recognize gambling problems as another sign a student may need help, said Rory Pfund, associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.

"At the policy level, there are not many, if any, resources in Mississippi dedicated specifically to gambling," he said. "I hope that this is a call for policymakers to create a mechanism to provide dedicated funding not just to college students, but outside of campus as well."

While not every student who gambles will develop a problem, many will, he cautioned.

"There will be people who experience problems, and in fact, there already are," Pfund said. "Tennessee dedicates funding to this issue, and when I worked at a state-funded specialty clinic, we regularly treated people, including college students, from Mississippi for gambling problems. It's already happening."

Funding for gambling problem prevention, treatment and research is scarce at a national level, too. The National Institutes of Health has agencies dedicated to problematic alcohol and substance use, but no such official effort is aimed at problem gambling.

"Obviously gambling brings in a lot of revenue, and that's important," McAfee said. "But also important is taking care of our students. We have to have ways to identify problem gambling.

"That means having the means to identify those students and provide intervention services. That will be a net benefit for everyone involved."

Although the study found a connection between gambling, mental health and substance use, future studies will need to clarify the nature of that relationship.

"Does gambling cause mental health problems, or do mental health concerns make someone more likely to develop gambling problems?" Pfund said. "This study is a foundation for us to advance our knowledge to understand if there is a causal relationship."

Often the answer is not as simple as one issue causing another. Many people who have mental health problems are more susceptible to reward-seeking behavior such as gambling or substance use, but situations where gambling is common often are environments where drinking and substance use occur, McAfee said.

"Many of these social get-togethers are around betting on sports while you're drinking, which of course increases all of your risk factors for all of the above," he said. "The next frontier in understanding college student gambling behaviors is understanding how both these social mechanisms and co-occurring alcohol use feed into one another to create a risky environment."

Until problem gambling and its causes are better understood, parents, educators and administrators must be aware of the warning signs, McAfee said.

"When people are withdrawing from friend groups, or when gambling becomes the entirety of their conversation, there's clearly a change happening here," the Ole Miss administrator said. "If you notice changes – whether that's in mood or withdrawing socially – talk to them.

"The stigma around mental health is shifting, but there is still a huge stigma around problem gambling, and that makes people less likely to seek treatment. For a lot of people, they don't know how to ask for help."

This material is based on work supported by the U.S. Department of Education from the Governor's Emergency Relief Fund grant no. GEER–00025.

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Journal

International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction

DOI

10.1007/s11469-026-01694-4 

Unsupervised free time increases the likelihood that adolescents will engage in violent behavior

 

A study involving more than 58,000 adolescents from 21 countries found that “unstructured free time” – defined as periods without adult supervision or activities guided by educational, cultural, or athletic goals – is strongly associated with delinquent behavior and exposure to violence among young people.

The study was published in May in the journal PLOS ONE by researchers affiliated with the International Self-Report Delinquency Study (ISRD) consortium, which brings together teams from various countries to investigate, through anonymous questionnaires, adolescents’ involvement in crimes and their exposure to violence as victims or perpetrators.

“The study shows that unstructured free time is a very important variable for understanding adolescents’ involvement in violence,” says Marina Rezende Bazon, a psychologist  and professor at the Ribeirão Preto Faculty of Philosophy, Sciences, and Letters at the University of São Paulo (FFCLRP-USP) who coordinates the Brazilian team in the ISRD.

According to her, the concept refers to the time when adolescents decide for themselves what to do without adult supervision or participation in structured activities. “It’s that time when young people wander around without a specific goal, often in contexts of vulnerability and exposure to criminal opportunities,” she explains. 

The study analyzed two main types of unstructured free time: at home, which is especially related to internet use, and outside the home, which involves spending time on the streets, in neighborhoods, and in public spaces without supervision.

The analyses showed that the strongest predictor of involvement in crime is association with delinquent peers. However, unstructured free time was a close second as an important, cross-cultural explanatory factor. That is, it was relevant in explaining young people’s involvement in crime and situations of violence in all the countries surveyed. “When we combine delinquent peers and unstructured free time, we have a particularly problematic combination,” Bazon warns.

New 20-year study proves pre-K impacts a child’s academic future

 Students who attend public school pre-K perform better academically through high school than those in family-based childcare, according to new research from Florida International University. 

The study, led by George Mason University and overseen by FIU associate professor of teaching and learning Charles Bleiker, is among the largest analyses of early childhood outcomes. Researchers followed 400,000 Miami-Dade County public school students starting in third grade and monitored them through high school. The 20-year study showed students who attended public school pre-K4 performed better on standardized tests and earned higher grades throughout their academic careers, and that these benefits persisted into adolescence. 

The researchers compared three preschool settings that the children attended prior to elementary school — public school pre-K, center-based daycares and home-based childcares that were part of the Early Learning Coalition. While all programs met minimum requirements, teacher education stood out. Public school pre-K programs were the only ones that required teachers to hold a college degree. 

“They had more education and probably higher-quality teachers,” Bleiker said. “It really tests the idea that having better-trained teachers or better curricula actually helps these kids. Critics often say teachers don't need to be highly educated to teach young children, that it’s just babysitting and a waste of money. Our data says otherwise.” 

The study also challenges the idea that early socialization in a public school setting is irrelevant. Starting a school rhythm early helps students adapt to the classroom environment, Bleiker said. In addition, teachers trained in developmental psychology and classroom management are better equipped to handle behavioral challenges. 

“It makes a huge difference if you've been trained,” Bleiker said. “Novice teachers without formal training struggle more. Some of these were mom-and-pop centers hiring people who aren’t fully qualified to teach. If a child spends those formative years in time out, watching videos or being herded around, rather than being stimulated, these experiences spill over. They reach kindergarten not ready academically, socially or emotionally.” 

Bleiker, who joined FIU in 2001, has been a central part of the team working on this long-term study evaluating the readiness of Miami children receiving subsidized childcare. Because Miami’s population is 70 percent Hispanic, the study features the largest Hispanic sample of any such research to date. 

Today, Bleiker uses this research to design curriculum interventions and early math programs, while supporting earlier access to structured learning programs beginning around age 3. However, he notes that public schools do not have to shoulder the entire burden. Instead, this study could be used to learn what the public schools are doing right and use that information to try and improve the center-based and family-based pre-Ks.

Regardless of where parents choose to send their children for voluntary pre-K, Bleiker offers some practical advice for finding the best fit:

• Look for stability. Ask how long teachers typically stay at the center. Young children form strong attachments, so frequent teacher turnover can be difficult for them.
• Use your local Early Learning Coalition. These organizations can provide quality ratings, resources and guidance to help parents evaluate childcare options.
• Do your homework. Visit potential centers and ask questions about the program, staff and classroom environment before enrolling your child.
• Talk to other parents. Find out whether families are happy with the center and whether their children are thriving there.

Most importantly, said Bleiker, pay attention to your child’s experience. If your child consistently isn’t doing well in a particular setting, don’t be afraid to consider another center that may be a better fit.

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Journal

Early Childhood Research Quarterly

DOI

10.1016/j.ecresq.2026.03.004