NCT02339363

Effects of Sitting Meditation and Hatha Yoga in Adolescents

Differential Effects of Sitting Meditation and Hatha Yoga on Working Memory, Stress, and Mindfulness Among Adolescents in a School Setting

• Status: Completed
• Phase: Phase 1 / Phase 2
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 198 (actual)
• Sponsor: Alliant International University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 12 Years – 17 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

The present study was a randomized controlled trial that explored the feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of short-term mindfulness training among adolescents. The primary purpose was to investigate the effectiveness of two main Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction components-sitting meditation and hatha yoga-on working memory, stress, anxiety and mindfulness. The influence of daily home practice compliance on intervention outcomes was also examined.

Detailed description

The present study was a randomized controlled trial that explored the feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of short-term mindfulness training among adolescents. The primary purpose was to investigate the effectiveness of two main Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction components-sitting meditation and hatha yoga-on working memory, stress, anxiety and mindfulness. The influence of daily home practice compliance on intervention outcomes was also examined. Participants (N = 198 adolescents) were recruited from a large public middle school in southern California. Participants were randomly assigned to sitting meditation, hatha yoga, or a waitlist control group. Participants were asked to complete a computerized working memory task, and self-report measures of perceived stress, anxiety, and mindfulness at pre- and post-intervention/waitlist, as well as one-month follow-up. A series of mixed-design analyses of variance (ANOVAs) were used to examine changes in working memory, stress, anxiety, and mindfulness between groups at pre- and post- intervention.

Conditions

• Anxiety
• Psychological Stress

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Sitting Meditation	4 weeks Sitting Meditation
BEHAVIORAL	Hatha yoga	4 weeks of Hatha yoga

Timeline

• Start date: 2013-03-01
• Primary completion: 2013-06-01
• Completion: 2013-07-01
• First posted: 2015-01-15
• Last updated: 2015-01-15