Yoga for the prevention of depression, anxiety, and aggression and the promotion of socio-emotional competencies in school-aged children
Abstract
Children and youth coming from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds are at risk of developing behavioural problems. This study examined the efficacy of a Yoga programme implemented in a low-socioeconomic status school, for the prevention of depression, anxiety, and aggression. After-school workshops were delivered twice a week during 12 weeks to 125 students in 5th, 8th, and 9th grades, enrolled in a school in Bogotá, Colombia. Participants were randomly assigned to an intervention and to a control group. Children's anxiety, depression, aggression, and some socioemotional competencies (specifically empathy, anger management, and prosociality) were quantitatively assessed before and after the intervention, by means of self- and peer-reported questionnaires. Qualitative data were also collected to assess children's perceived benefits from the workshops. Results suggested a potential of the programme to reduce children's anxiety problems, in particular. Results are discussed in terms of recommended improvements to the programme and its future evaluation.
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Two of the 3 studies that did not find significant effects on observable outcomes were conducted in children.
“Two of the 3 studies that did not find significant effects were conducted in children (Poehlmann-Tynan et al., 2016; Velásquez, López, Quiñonez, & Paba, 2015).”
From A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of the Effects of Meditation on Empathy, Compassion, and Prosocial Behaviors (2018) · cites this paper as Velásquez, López, Quiñonez, & Paba, 2015
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- Authors
- Velásquez, A. M., López, M. A., Quiñonez, N., & Paba, D. P.
- Affiliations
- Universidad de Los Andes (CO)
- Corresponding author
- Velásquez, Ana María
- ORCID
- Velásquez, Ana María
- Venue
- Educational Research and Evaluation
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2015-08-18
- Volume
- 21
- Issue
- 5-6
- Pages
- 407-421
- ISSN
- 1380-3611 (ISSN-L)
- 1744-4187
- OpenAlex
- W2180775358
- Cited by
- 70
- References
- 5
- Citations by year
- 2026: 7 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 15 · 2023: 19 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 1
- FWCI
- 2.07
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Educational Research and Evaluation (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- RAMO
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
- Social Sciences › Safety Research › Youth Development and Social Support
- Keywords
- yoga, depression prevention, anxiety prevention, aggression prevention, socioemotional skills, school-aged children, low socioeconomic status, after-school intervention, empathy, anger management, prosocial behavior, child mental health
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