Gibbons, Julie; (2022) Does Yoga Improve Mental Health in Adolescence? A Systematic Review Exploring the Impact of Yoga Interventions Implemented Within Secondary Education. Doctoral thesis (D.Ed.Psy), UCL (University College London).

Preview

Text Gibbons_10152509_Thesis.pdf Download (3MB) | Preview

Abstract

Yoga has been found to improve mental health conditions in adults with preliminary research into its effects on children and young people showing promise. Primary studies exploring the impact of school-based yoga interventions have generated positive albeit small findings for mental health, including improved mood and stress reduction. Previous reviews have focused on a range of outcomes including cognitive, psychological and physical, across both child and adolescent populations. Gard et al (2014) formulated a theoretical model proposing the regulatory mechanisms via which yoga mediates the stress response. This review aims to update the findings from previous systematic reviews investigating the effects of yoga on mental health outcomes and seeks to include current UK based research. It explores the impact of school-based yoga on quantitative mental health outcomes in adolescence using statistical meta-analysis to estimate a pooled effect size. It seeks to synthesise the findings from qualitative research exploring adolescents’ experiences of school-based yoga. It considers whether yoga may impact on mental health outcomes differentially according to gender. The process outlined by Petticrew and Roberts (2006) for conducting a systematic review was utilised. The GRADE method and TAPUPAS frameworks were used to critically appraise studies. A narrative synthesis was conducted to reflect the quantitative findings across studies reviewed including differential gender effects with a statistical meta-analysis using Stata (Version 17) employed to estimate the overall pooled effect size for specific mental health outcomes Thematic Analysis informed by Braun and Clarke (2006) was conducted to analyse qualitative studies with a secondary analysis performed by gender. These findings were then synthesised narratively. Research exploring anxiety, depression, stress and emotion regulation was appraised as being of low to very low quality and the strength of any recommendations made about the suitability of using yoga to support these outcomes in adolescence is weak. Trends in the data suggest marginally increased beneficial effects for the yoga condition for the majority of outcomes, with most studies employing a PE control. The statistical meta-analysis generated a non-significant pooled effect size of theta 0.20. Some differences were found between males and females, with emotion regulation increasing more for females than males after yoga compared with PE. The qualitative analysis yielded some favourable findings with the following themes emerging: yoga and emotion regulation, cognitive impact including enhanced mindfulness, yoga as stress reducing/relaxation inducing, integration between the mind, the body and the breath and interpersonal benefits. Females were more likely to identify that yoga reduced feelings of stress than males, yet teachers were more likely to observe this in males rather than females. Only females identified that yoga helped them to feel more connected to others. Conversely, teachers identified males as demonstrating improved social communication and interaction, but not for females. Overall, males and females were found to enjoy PE and cited a number of physical benefits, however only females reported a preference of PE over yoga. A minority of students reported that yoga did not really help with stress or emotion regulation, that they had not enjoyed yoga or that yoga had not supported their physical wellbeing. Trends in the quantitative data alongside the qualitative findings provide partial support for Gard et al’s (2014) framework, notably that feedback from students suggests that yoga may improve cognitive, top-down skills comparable with mindfulness, combined with the use of breathing practices to support their self-regulation in a bottom-up way.

Download activity - last month

Export as JSONXMLCSV

Download activity - last 12 months

Export as JSONXMLCSV

Downloads by country - last 12 months

Export as JSONXMLCSV

Archive Staff Only

View Item