Impact of Body Scan Meditation on Academic Stress and Pain among School Students
V Srinidhi, R Rajaswathy
International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research March 9, 2026 DOI: 10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i02.70232 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Pre-post intervention study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 37 |
| Population | School children aged 15–17 with considerable academic stress and pain |
| Intervention | Body scan meditation |
| Duration | 4-week intervention, 3 sessions per week |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Coping psychology Intervention counseling Perception Relaxation psychology Stress management Clinical psychology Physical therapy Ethnically diverse Stress linguistics Perceived stress scale Martial arts |
| Key points | Body scan meditation practiced three times weekly for four weeks may improve pain perception and academic stress levels in children. |
Abstract
School children are frequently exposed to academic stress, and pain both physical and psychological can negatively influence their well-being and performance. This study explores the potential of the body scan technique, a simple mindfulness practice, as an intervention to help children manage pain and academic stress. During the intervention, participants attend body scan meditation sessions 3 times per week over a period of 4 weeks, focusing sequentially on each part of the body to promote both relaxation and greater awareness of physical sensations. A purposive sample of 37 children aged 15–17, identified as experiencing considerable level of academic stress and pain. Their Level of academic stress and pain was measured in pre and post-test using Educational Stress Scale and Brief Pain Inventory. It was hypothesized that regular body scan practice would yield improvements in pain perception and academic stress levels. The results of this study are intended to provide evidence for the use of body scan meditation as a practical technique for improving both physical comfort and academic ease in school settings, supporting children in coping more effectively with academic and bodily stressors.
Comparable studies
Other non-randomized and open-label trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in Relation to Quality of Life, Mood, Symptoms of Stress, and Immune Parameters in Breast and Prostate Cancer Outpatients Early-stage breast and prostate cancer patients | 2003 | Pre-post intervention study | n = 59 |
| Exploring self‐compassion and empathy in the context of mindfulness‐based stress reduction (MBSR) Community sample | 2010 | Pre-post intervention study | |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Lowers Psychological Distress In Medical Students Second-year medical students | 2003 | Prospective nonrandomized cohort-controlled study | n = 302 |
| Intensive meditation training, immune cell telomerase activity, and psychological mediators. Retreat participants and matched controls | 2011 | Controlled trial with wait-list control group | n = 60 |
| The Effectiveness of Mindfulness Training for Children with ADHD and Mindful Parenting for their Parents Children aged 8-12 with ADHD and their parents | 2011 | Within-group waitlist controlled trial | n = 22 |