Yoga Theses by PhD students
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Yoga Theses by Yoga PhD Students at SVYASA. These pages present some efforts at Scientific Validation of Yoga. You may receive full text of available yoga research papers
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Item SAFE USE OF SCREEN TIME AMONG ADOLESCENTS – A RANDOMIZED CONTROL STUDY FOR EFFICACY OF YOGA(S-VYASA, 2025-10-11) Manisha Mona; Sony Kumari; Nitin AnandBackground: Excessive screen time among adolescents has emerged as a major concern, contributing to negative outcomes such as depression, anxiety, behavioral issues, poor physical health, and diminished cognitive functioning. These include impaired executive functioning, anxiety, depression, sleep disturbances, and smartphone addiction. The increasing dependency on digital media necessitates effective, holistic interventions. Holistic approaches like yoga may serve as effective interventions by enhancing self-regulation, mental clarity, and physical well-being. Aim: To evaluate the feasibility, efficacy, and validity of yoga-based interventions aimed at managing screen time and associated psychological and physical symptoms in adolescents. Methods: • Study 1: A needs assessment survey was conducted to understand concerns related to excessive screen usage behavior among students, teachers, and parents, with a focus on addressing the health-related impacts on adolescents. • Study 2: A comprehensive yoga module was developed using classical yogic texts and modern scientific literature. The module was reviewed and validated by 26 experienced yoga professors, each with over 10 years of expertise. A feasibility study (pilot study) was conducted to assess the module’s impact on screen time, mental health, and well-being in adolescents, using convenient sampling and non-random group allocation (15 in yoga, 15 in control group). • Study 3: This randomized controlled trial involved 100 schoolchildren aged 13–17 from Endeavour Academy, Bangalore. Participants were randomly assigned to either a yoga group or a control group using an online randomizer, with 50 participants in each. Sample size was calculated using G-Power software based on a prior pilot study, ensuring statistical power. Inclusion criteria focused on adolescents with adequate English skills and willingness to join the yoga program, while exclusions were based on lack of internet access, medical issues, or low screen time. Assessment: For study 1 need assessment survey was conducted based on self-developed google form questionnaire in online mode. For study 2 and study 3 participants were evaluated for Screen Time Use Questionnaire (STQ), WHO-5 Well-being Index, Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) for assessing generalized anxiety and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) to assess depressive symptoms, and Smartphone Addiction Scale Short Version (SAS-SV). The questionnaires were administered before and after the duration of the study intervention. Additionally in study 2 Content validity of the yoga module developed for optimizing screen time was assessed using Lawshe’s Content Validity Ratio (CVR) Intervention: The study 1 was survey study. The yoga protocol executed in the study 2 and study 3 (main-study) consisted of shitalikarna vyayama (loosing Exercise), Shavasa prashvasa kriya (breathing practice), asanas (physical postures), relaxation technique (supine position) (QRT with affirmation), pranayama (breathing techniques), meditation, concept of four streams of yoga, sitting position, kriya, and yogic games. The yoga intervention was given 3 days a week, 45 minutes a day, for one months in study 2 and three months in study 3. The digital hygiene educational routine issued by UGC (India) was given to the control group for the equivalent duration as the yoga group in both the study. Results: • Study 1: Highlighted the multidimensional benefits of school-based yoga, as it supports students' physical, emotional, and cognitive well-being, fostering resilience and long term healthy development. Reports the evidences that suggests integrating yoga into school curriculums may be an effective, evidence-based strategy to counter the negative effects of excessive screen time. • Study 2: Six practices were removed due to low CVR scores, and 21 out of 27 validated practices were retained in the final module (CVI = 0.72). Feasibility study for authenticating the developed module showed a significant decrease in screen time (p<0.05) and improvements in anxiety (p<0.01), depression (p<0.001), and well-being (p<0.01) after the 12 sessions of intervention. • Study 3: Reported statistically significant reductions in screen time (p<0.001), smartphone addiction, anxiety (p<0.05), and depressive symptoms (p<0.01) in the yoga group. Substantial improvements were also noted in specific subcategories of screen time within the yoga group, with time spent watching television consistently decreasing across all periods [weekdays (p<0.01), weeknights (p<0.001), weekends (p<0.05)]. Conclusion: Yoga interventions significantly reduce excessive screen use and related health complications in adolescents. Incorporating yoga into school curricula offers a preventive and restorative approach to fostering balanced development. Continued research is recommended to further explore its long-term impact and application in broader educational and clinical settings. Keywords: Screen time, adolescents, yoga intervention, mental health, and smartphone addiction, school curriculum, mindfulness.Item Implications of learning strategies and effect of yoga on academic performance among adolescents: A randomized trial(S-VYASA, 2025-05-31) Mangesh Pandey; Narayan BeheraBACKGROUND Adolescent academic performance is crucial for both individual educational success and broader national development. The National Education Program report (2020) highlights significant challenges, revealing that 25% of Indian adolescents lack proficiency in fundamental academic skills, with India ranking 72nd out of 73 countries in the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA). Addressing these issues necessitates a comprehensive approach integrating effective learning strategies, considerations of cognitive and non-cognitive factors, addressing physical and mental health concerns, resolving apprehensions related to academic failure, and promoting positive interpersonal relationships for conducive teaching-learning environment. Additionally, enhancing cognitive capabilities and motivation is crucial for efficient learning and academic achievement. This is particularly significant given the challenges posed by emotional and behavioral issues, which include reduced concentration, poor classroom engagement, and difficulty managing academic stress. These factors collectively contribute to lower grades, increased dropout rates, and limited opportunities for higher education. Alongside these considerations, parenting styles also significantly influence adolescent academic performance: authoritative parenting, with its high expectations and support, fosters independence, self-discipline, and motivation, whereas authoritarian parenting’s high demands and low responsiveness may instil fear of failure and lower self-esteem. In contrast, permissive parenting tends to cultivate inadequate discipline and poor academic habits. Moreover, socio-economic disparities further shape academic outcomes; students from higher socio-economic backgrounds often access more educational resources and supportive environments, contrasting starkly with the challenges faced by their peers from lower socio-economic backgrounds, who ii experience financial instability and limited educational support at home. This contributes to disparities in academic achievement and educational opportunities. This study utilizes various aspects of yoga, including hatha yoga (asana, pranayama, and deep relaxation techniques) and a combination of hatha yoga with jnana yoga-based learning strategies, such as attentive listening, reflective contemplation, repeated practice, intellectual humility, inquiry, and dedicated effort in acquiring knowledge and setting academic goals. Additionally, physical exercise is incorporated to assess the impact on academic performance and learning, along with related variables among school-going adolescents. The study aims to identify effective strategies to enhance academic outcomes and reduce educational disparities among Indian adolescents through comprehensive analysis and targeted interventions. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES This study aimed to evaluate learning outcomes and adolescent development through yoga and physical exercise interventions, evaluating their impact on academic performance and related factors. Objectives included evaluating the effects of hatha yoga, combined hatha and jnana yoga practices, and physical exercise on academic performance, physical fitness, general intelligence, verbal working memory, academic skills, emotional and behavioral issues, academic self-efficacy, and test anxiety among three distinct groups of adolescents. Additionally, the study aimed to analyse how these interventions differed in their impact and identify predictors of academic performance within each group. Furthermore, it explored the roles of socio-economic status and parenting styles on academic outcomes, assessed the feasibility and fidelity of implementing interventions, and conducted qualitative analysis of student interview transcripts to gain insights into the effects of yoga programs. iii METHODS Participants and Design The study is a three-arm trial that followed a stratified random allocation. A total of 300 adolescent students, comprising 154 males and 146 females, with an average age of 13.06 years (SD = 1.10), were selected from grades 7, 8, and 9 from two different locations in India (North and West zones). The North zone recruited 126 students, while a sample size of 174 was finalized for the Western Zone. Assessment tools The students in the three groups were assessed for their academic performance scores, obtained from school records. Minimum muscular fitness was evaluated using the Kraus-Weber test. General intelligence and cognitive abilities, including verbal working memory, were measured using Raven’s Progressive Matrices and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale, respectively. Academic skills, such as comprehension, numeracy, creative writing, reading, and general knowledge, were assessed through standardized academic tests. Emotional and behavioral problems were evaluated using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Academic self-efficacy was assessed using Academic Self Efficacy and Efficacy for Self-Regulated Learning scale. Performance anxiety was assessed using a Test Anxiety scale. Parenting styles were identified using the Parenting Style Questionnaire. Socio economic status was determined using the Kuppuswamy Socio-Economic Scale. Intervention Yoga and physical exercise sessions were conducted simultaneously over 63 days in the North and 66 days in the West locations, respectively. Each session lasted 50 minutes, starting at 8:00 AM in the North and 11:00 AM in the West, with an additional 10 minutes allocated for student assembly iv and dispersal. Sessions occurred three to six days per week, spanning 14 weeks to thoroughly assess the differential impact. Group A practiced conventional hatha yoga, emphasizing physical postures (Asana) and breath control (Pranayama). Group B combined traditional hatha yoga with jnana yoga concepts, integrating academic interventions based on theoretical frameworks from ancient scriptures such as the Bhagavad Gita and Brhadaranyaka Upanishad. Group C engaged in a physical fitness training program involving moderate to intense physical exercises. RESULTS One-way ANOVA with Bonferroni adjustments, multiple regression, and correlation analyses were conducted to analyse the data. Group B demonstrated significantly better academic performance than Groups A and C. Additionally, Group B showed significant improvements in muscle fitness, general intelligence, attention, verbal working memory, comprehension skills, creative writing skills, reading skills, and academic self-efficacy. Reductions in test anxiety, emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity, and peer problems were also noted, particularly in Group B. However, no significant differences were observed among the groups in numeracy skills and pro-social behavior. Multiple regression analysis identified significant predictors of academic performance within each intervention group. In Group A, reading skills and academic self-efficacy were significant predictors. For Group B, significant predictors included general intelligence, creative writing, and academic self-efficacy. In Group C, general intelligence and working memory predicted academic scores. Correlation analysis indicated that authoritative and authoritarian parenting styles positively correlated with academic performance and negatively correlated with peer problems and overall v difficulties. Permissive parenting, though not significantly affecting academic performance, was associated with increased pro-social behavior and conduct problems. Socio-economic status showed varied impacts - the upper-lower category negatively affected emotional well-being and psychological functioning, while the lower-middle category negatively correlated with pro-social behavior. In the upper-middle category, significant negative correlations were found between academic performance and peer problems, and positive correlations were observed between socio-economic status and conduct problems. Additionally, a significant negative correlation existed between pro-social behavior and peer problems among upper-middle category students. CONCLUSIONS The study concludes that yoga plays a significant role in enhancing physical fitness and mental preparedness for academics. It improves cognitive abilities, academic self-efficacy, and skills, particularly through integrated hatha and jnana yoga practices, which have shown substantial positive effects on academic performance and related factors. Therefore, this integrated approach supports development across physical, mental, and intellectual domains. Implementing comprehensive yoga programs in school curricula is essential to promote holistic adolescent development, address academic challenges like anxiety, and enhance learning skills effectively and affordably. Additionally, incorporating yoga into educational policies and practices can enrich school environments and support the overall well-being and academic success of students.