Yoga Beats Stress Provides Protection Against Poor Mental Health Outcomes

Introduction: Sources of stress faced by adolescents today — gun violence, social media, and climate change — are increasing in intensity. Because it’s not possible to predict or eliminate these external stressors, adolescents would benefit from learning coping skills. This presents a growing need for stress management education aimed at lessening the effects of stress on the mental health of adolescents. This study is a pilot evaluation of a universal program, Yoga Beats Stress (YBS), developed for adolescents. YBS provides education on stress reduction strategies drawn from yoga, mindfulness, and cognitive behavioral therapy. Methods: A yoga instructor and a mental health practitioner taught the 8-week YBS program to a group of 10 adolescents. Participants completed pre- and post-program surveys that included validated measures to detect changes in emotional regulation, stress levels, and mindfulness. Parent participation was encouraged for one group of adolescents. Bivariate analysis was conducted to determine whether participants experienced change after completion of YBS. Results: We did not see statistically significant improvement in stress levels or mindfulness for adolescents; however, participants experienced a moderate improvement in the emotional regulation domain of clarity, the ability to recognize and identify emotions (V=36; p<0.05; d=0.64). Emotional clarity offers a protective effect for mental health as a lack of emotional clarity is considered a predictor of future depression. Additionally, parents experienced a significant and large improvement in stress (V=55; p<0.05; d=1.06). Adolescents reported learning the most about their ability to use stress-reducing skills. Limitations and areas for future research will be discussed.