Impact of Yoga on Children's Anxiety

It has been recently observed that yoga practiced as little as 10 minutes a day over 8 weeks can have a significant impact on decreasing anxiety in children aged 8–10 years. The study is published in the Journal of Pediatric Health Care.

Anxiety is becoming more common in children and can negatively affect social and academic performance. Considering the high prevalence of psychological and emotional disorders, including anxiety among children, there is a strong need for interventions promoting healthy lifestyle skills from an early age. Based on existing research, establishing yoga as a promising intervention for children at risk for anxiety and stress-related behaviors resulted in several online resources for school-based yoga that can be used to develop a yoga-based strategy as positive behavior support in schools.

Published studies on the impact of yoga frequently focus on adult populations and clinical or medical settings. Research with youth has predominantly focused on atypical children and adolescents in specialized, controlled environments, such as rehabilitation centers, counseling services and support groups, and alternative learning environments.

Hence, Marilou Shreve and associates conducted the current study to explore the impact of 10 minutes of yoga on anxiety in third- and fourth-graders over 8 weeks. Participants completed 10 minutes of yoga daily during the school week. Participants completed the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders anxiety screening tool at the beginning and after the program.

Results

• Paired sample t-test noted a significant difference between pretest and posttest raw scores in the category of generalized anxiety disorder.
• On average, participants had significantly decreased raw anxiety scores after completing the program (mean = −0.0308), t(60) = −3.137, p < .05.

Therefore, it was concluded that "yoga practiced as little as 10 minutes a day over 8 weeks can have a significant impact on decreasing anxiety in children aged 8–10 years."