The purpose of this preliminary study is to evaluate the effects of a yoga-based program on high school students' psychological health. Results will be used to generate specific hypotheses of how yoga may improve adolescent mental health.
Specific Aims: 1. To evaluate the hypothesis that 12 weeks of yoga during physical education will be acceptable by and feasible with high school students. To test Specific Aim 1, outcomes assessed at both Monument Mountain Regional High School and Waltham High School include: feasibility and acceptance. 2. To evaluate the hypothesis that yoga will improve self-and parent-reported psychosocial well-being including affect, mood, stress and anxiety in high school students, relative to control students taking regular physical education. To test Specific Aim 2, both primary outcomes (affect and mood) will be assessed at both schools. Additional psychosocial well-being outcomes assessed at Monument Mountain Regional High School include: life purpose/satisfaction and self-confidence during stress; self-esteem; parent-reported psychological difficulties; perceived stress; and sleep quality. Additional psychosocial well-being outcomes assessed at Waltham High School include: self-esteem; parent-reported psychological difficulties; and sleep quality. 3. To evaluate the hypothesis that yoga will improve self- and parent-reported self-regulatory skills including resilience, mindfulness, emotion regulation, anger expression, self-esteem and self-confidence relative to physical education controls. Self-regulation outcomes assessed at Monument Mountain Regional High School include: resilience; mindfulness; emotion regulation; control of anger expression; bullying; health behaviors; substance use risk factors; and attention. Self-regulation outcomes assessed at Waltham High School include: resilience; mindfulness; emotion regulation; control of anger expression; substance use risk factors; and attention.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
1,693
12 to 16 weeks of group yoga classes (approximately 32 classes per student), 30-45 minutes per class, 2-3 times per week, during physical education class. Yoga program includes physical postures and movement, breathing exercises, partner/group games, deep relaxation and meditative techniques.
Boston Latin Public School
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Monument Mountain Regional High School
Great Barrington, Massachusetts, United States
Waltham Senior High School
Waltham, Massachusetts, United States
Change in self-reported negative affect and positive affect measured by the 30-item Positive and Negative Affect Schedule for Children (PANAS-C)
Time frame: Baseline; during intervention after 4 weeks, 8 weeks and 12 weeks; 1 week post-intervention
Change in self-reported mood as measured by: the 30-item Profile of Mood States Short Form (POMS-SF, total and 6 sub-scales), or the 24-item Brunel University Mood Scale (BRUMS, total and 6 sub-scales)
Time frame: Baseline; 1 week post-intervention
Change in self-reported resilience (ability to adapt) as measured by the 25-item Resilience Scale (RS)
Time frame: Baseline, 1 week post-intervention
Change in self-reported life purpose/satisfaction and self-confidence during stress, as measured by the 32-item Inventory of Positive Psychological Attitudes (IPPA)
Time frame: Baseline, 1 week post-intervention
Change in self-reported mindfulness as measured by the 25-item Child Acceptance and Mindfulness Measure (CAMM)
Time frame: Baseline, 1 week post-intervention
Change in self-reported emotion regulation as measured by the 10-item Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ, 2 subscales), or the 36-item Difficulties in Emotion Regulation (DERS, 6 sub-scales)
Time frame: Baseline; during intervention after 4 weeks, 8 weeks and 12 weeks; 1 week post-intervention
Change in self-reported anger expression and control as measured by part 3 of the 35-item State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI2-C/A)
Time frame: Baseline, 1 week post-intervention
Change in self-reported self-esteem as measured by the 10-item Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES)
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Time frame: Baseline, 1 week post-intervention
Feasibility and acceptance of the yoga program as measured by: student and parent forms of the 8-item Yoga Evaluation Questionnaire (YEQ), and 30-minute one-on-one qualitative interviews with students
Time frame: 1 week post-intervention
Change in parent-reported psychological difficulties (total plus 5 sub-scales) as measured by the 25-item Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), parent/teacher form
Time frame: Baseline, 1 week post-intervention
Change in self-reported stress levels as measured by the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS)
Time frame: Baseline, 1 week post-intervention
Change in self-reported sleep as measured by the 19-item Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) or the 3-item Adolescent Sleep Quality (ASQ) scale
Time frame: Baseline, 1 week post-intervention
Change in self-reported bullying and victimization by bullying as measured by the 12-item Peer Relations Questionnaire (PRQ)
Time frame: Baseline, 1 week post-intervention
Change in self-reported physical activity and eating habits as measured by the 8-item Health Behaviors Survey (HBS)
Time frame: Baseline, 1 week post-intervention
Change in self-reported substance use risk factors as measured by the 45-item UPPS Impulsive Behavior Scale (UPPS), or the 10-item Brief Sensation Seeking Scale with Slater's Addition (BSSS+S2)
Time frame: Baseline, 1 week post-intervention
Change in attention as measured by: self-report using the 9-item inattention sub-scale of the ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS), and a 20-minute O-SPAN task for working memory capacity
Time frame: Baseline; during intervention after 4 weeks, 8 weeks and 12 weeks; 1 week post-intervention
Change in self-reported stress levels as measured by the 7-Item subscale of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS)
Time frame: Baseline, 1 week post-intervention
Change in self-reported sensation seeking tendencies as measured by the 12 item Brief Sensation Seeking Scale and Slater's Addition (BSSS+SS2).
Time frame: Baseline, 1 week post-intervention
Change in self-reported sadness levels as measured by the 3-Item subscale of the Sadness Management Scale (SMS)
Time frame: Baseline, 1 week post-intervention