AUTHOR=Wang Xuhong , Dong Xuefei 
  
TITLE=School-based mindfulness education and children’s emotion regulation: the mediating role of executive function
  
JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology
  
VOLUME=Volume 17 - 2026
  
YEAR=2026
  
URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1760807
  
DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1760807
  
ISSN=1664-1078
  
ABSTRACT=BackgroundSchool-based mindfulness education has been increasingly implemented to support children’s socio-emotional development; however, the cognitive mechanisms underlying its effects on emotion regulation remain insufficiently clarified. This study examined whether mindfulness-based education improves children’s emotion regulation and whether executive function mediates this association.MethodsIn a randomized controlled trial, 150 children aged 8–10 years were assigned to either a mindfulness education group or a waitlist control group. The 8-week program assessed emotion regulation (ERC, Emotion Management Scale, Disappointing Gift Task) and executive function (Hearts and Flowers, Digit Span, WCST).ResultsThe mindfulness group showed significantly greater improvements in emotion regulation strategies (F = 15.37, p < 0.001) and all executive function components. Mediation analysis revealed significant indirect effects through inhibitory control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility, accounting for 53.8% of the total effect.ConclusionMindfulness education enhances children’s emotion regulation, both directly and through improvements in executive function, supporting its implementation in school mental health programs.