Mitigating Emotion Dysregulation in Adolescents: The Effectiveness of Vipassana Meditation

Adolescents who practiced Vipassana meditation daily were better at regulating their emotions than those who did not meditate. In a study of 60 adolescents, those who meditated showed lower emotional dysregulation, with the meditation practice explaining 77.9% of the variance in emotion regulation scores. The effect size was large, indicating a strong impact of Vipassana meditation on helping adolescents manage mood swings, stress, and frustration. The findings suggest that regular Vipassana meditation may support emotional development in young people.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Introduction. Mood swings, hypersensitivity, stress, and frustration intolerance are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the problems adolescents have in properly controlling and regulating their emotions. Their relationships, ability to make decisions, and general happiness may all suffer because of their difficulties with emotional regulation. Vipassana meditation (VM) promotes awareness of the need for change, enhances mental focus, and opens the door to more introspective thought. Methods. The purpose of this research was to examine the impact of vipassana meditation (VM) on adolescents' (n = 60) inability to control their emotions. Participants were randomly assigned in groups: vipassana meditators (those who practise meditation daily) or non-meditators (those who don't practise any form of meditation). A measure of emotional dysregulation, the DERS-36, was administered concurrently to both groups. Results. A statistically significant difference was discovered between the two groups using SPSS-27, suggesting that vipassana meditators have better than non-meditators at keeping their emotions in check. The effect size of vipassana meditation was also investigated, and researchers found it to be 197.136 which indicates a strong impact of vipassana meditation. Overall, vipassana meditation has good impacts 77.9% of variance on the level of emotion dysregulation among adolescents. Discussion. The statistics show that people struggle to keep their feelings in check, suggesting that VM could be helpful. Young people have a better chance of thriving as adults if they are helped when they are struggling.