The Effect of a Mindfulness-Based Cultural Excursion Program on Stress, Mindfulness, and Well-Being Among Children Exposed to an Earthquake.

The multidimensional effects of devastating earthquakes can have profound and long-lasting consequences on the psychological well-being of children, particularly those living in disaster-affected areas. In this context, the present study explores the potential contributions of a Mindfulness-Based Culture Excursion Program (MCEP) to the stress levels, mindfulness, and well-being of children exposed to the earthquake (CETE). The study was designed as a small-scale, exploratory randomized controlled study with pre-test, post-test, and three-month follow-up measurements. A total of 20 children aged 9-11 years, living in a container settlement following the earthquake, participated in the study and were randomly assigned to the experimental (n = 10) and control (n = 10) groups. The MCEP was developed within a holistic framework integrating mindfulness practices, art-based activities, cultural participation, positive psychology, and trauma-informed approaches. Preliminary findings suggest that children who participated in the program showed reductions in perceived stress levels alongside increases in mindfulness and indicators of emotional well-being compared with the control group. These patterns appeared to remain observable immediately after the program and during the three-month follow-up period. Given the small sample size, the findings should be interpreted as exploratory and preliminary. Nevertheless, the results indicate that mindfulness-based and culturally enriched psychosocial programs may represent a promising approach for supporting the well-being of children following disasters, warranting further investigation with larger samples.