Does yoga change the psycho-physiological states among first year college students? A novel investigation via yoga for stress management protocol

Yoga is a promising treatment for mental health, but its impact on first-year college students’ academic stress is not well understood. The present study presented a Yoga for Stress Management (YSM) protocol to examine its effects on psychological and physiological outcomes. Participants were random...

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Main Authors: Kirti Tripathi, Satyam Tiwari, Laxmidhar Behera, Arnav Bhavsar, Varun Dutt
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2025-12-01
Series:International Journal of Adolescence and Youth
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Online Access:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/02673843.2025.2502559
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author Kirti Tripathi
Satyam Tiwari
Laxmidhar Behera
Arnav Bhavsar
Varun Dutt
author_facet Kirti Tripathi
Satyam Tiwari
Laxmidhar Behera
Arnav Bhavsar
Varun Dutt
author_sort Kirti Tripathi
collection DOAJ
description Yoga is a promising treatment for mental health, but its impact on first-year college students’ academic stress is not well understood. The present study presented a Yoga for Stress Management (YSM) protocol to examine its effects on psychological and physiological outcomes. Participants were randomly allocated to a yoga group (N = 27) or a control group (N = 32), with the yoga group participating in 45-minute sessions three times a week for eight weeks. Psychological measures indicated substantially larger decreases in stress (η² =.11, 95% CI [1.26, 2.60] vs. [3.80, 6.12]), depression (η² =.11, 95% CI [1.05, 3.17] vs. [2.15, 4.65]), and generalized anxiety (η² =.31, 95% CI [6.26, 8.62] vs. [11.28, 14.72]) for the yoga group, with group × time interactions. Physiological benefits consisted of decreased diastolic blood pressure (η² =.30, 95% CI [73.48, 78.52] vs. [75.80, 80.66]), greater root mean square successive difference (η² =.12, 95% CI [76.33, 92.87] vs. [56.68, 77.06]), and greater alpha electroencephalography activity (η² =.20, 95% CI [0.36, 0.37] vs. [0.34, 0.37]). Such results indicate that yoga successfully lessens psychological distress and improves physiological regulation among first-year college students.
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spelling doaj-art-bbcd32cfca2f4448ae2f0f2c7bdbdb322025-08-20T02:31:29ZengTaylor & Francis GroupInternational Journal of Adolescence and Youth0267-38432164-45272025-12-0130110.1080/02673843.2025.2502559Does yoga change the psycho-physiological states among first year college students? A novel investigation via yoga for stress management protocolKirti Tripathi0Satyam Tiwari1Laxmidhar Behera2Arnav Bhavsar3Varun Dutt4Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, Lloyd Institute of Engineering and Technology, Greater Noida, IndiaIndian Knowledge System and Mental Health Application Centre, Indian Institute of Technology Mandi, Kamand, IndiaIndian Knowledge System and Mental Health Application Centre, Indian Institute of Technology Mandi, Kamand, IndiaIndian Knowledge System and Mental Health Application Centre, Indian Institute of Technology Mandi, Kamand, IndiaIndian Knowledge System and Mental Health Application Centre, Indian Institute of Technology Mandi, Kamand, IndiaYoga is a promising treatment for mental health, but its impact on first-year college students’ academic stress is not well understood. The present study presented a Yoga for Stress Management (YSM) protocol to examine its effects on psychological and physiological outcomes. Participants were randomly allocated to a yoga group (N = 27) or a control group (N = 32), with the yoga group participating in 45-minute sessions three times a week for eight weeks. Psychological measures indicated substantially larger decreases in stress (η² =.11, 95% CI [1.26, 2.60] vs. [3.80, 6.12]), depression (η² =.11, 95% CI [1.05, 3.17] vs. [2.15, 4.65]), and generalized anxiety (η² =.31, 95% CI [6.26, 8.62] vs. [11.28, 14.72]) for the yoga group, with group × time interactions. Physiological benefits consisted of decreased diastolic blood pressure (η² =.30, 95% CI [73.48, 78.52] vs. [75.80, 80.66]), greater root mean square successive difference (η² =.12, 95% CI [76.33, 92.87] vs. [56.68, 77.06]), and greater alpha electroencephalography activity (η² =.20, 95% CI [0.36, 0.37] vs. [0.34, 0.37]). Such results indicate that yoga successfully lessens psychological distress and improves physiological regulation among first-year college students.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/02673843.2025.2502559Yogacollege transitionmental healthDASSheart rate variabilityEEG
spellingShingle Kirti Tripathi
Satyam Tiwari
Laxmidhar Behera
Arnav Bhavsar
Varun Dutt
Does yoga change the psycho-physiological states among first year college students? A novel investigation via yoga for stress management protocol
International Journal of Adolescence and Youth
Yoga
college transition
mental health
DASS
heart rate variability
EEG
title Does yoga change the psycho-physiological states among first year college students? A novel investigation via yoga for stress management protocol
title_full Does yoga change the psycho-physiological states among first year college students? A novel investigation via yoga for stress management protocol
title_fullStr Does yoga change the psycho-physiological states among first year college students? A novel investigation via yoga for stress management protocol
title_full_unstemmed Does yoga change the psycho-physiological states among first year college students? A novel investigation via yoga for stress management protocol
title_short Does yoga change the psycho-physiological states among first year college students? A novel investigation via yoga for stress management protocol
title_sort does yoga change the psycho physiological states among first year college students a novel investigation via yoga for stress management protocol
topic Yoga
college transition
mental health
DASS
heart rate variability
EEG
url https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/02673843.2025.2502559
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