Impact of stress reduction on negative school behavior in adolescents
B Bauza Lynnette, A Barnes Vernon, A Treiber Frank
Health and Quality of Life Outcomes June 3, 2004 DOI: 10.1186/1477-7525-1-10 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 45 |
| Population | African American adolescents ages 15–18 years with high normal systolic blood pressure |
| Interventions | Transcendental Meditation Health education control |
| Dose | 15-minute sessions twice daily |
| Duration | 4-month intervention period |
| Measures | absenteeism, school rule infractions, suspension days |
| Key findings | Transcendental Meditation reduced absenteeism, rule infractions, and suspension days compared to health education control in African American adolescents. |
Abstract
Abstract Background The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of stress reduction via the Transcendental Meditation program on school rule infractions in adolescents.
Methods: Forty-five African American adolescents (ages 15–18 years) with high normal systolic blood pressure were randomly assigned to either Transcendental Meditation (n = 25) or health education control (n = 20) groups. The meditation group engaged in 15-min sessions at home and at school each day for 4 months. The control group was presented 15-min sessions of health education at school each day for 4 months. Primary outcome measures were changes in absenteeism, school rule infractions and suspension days during the four-month pretest period prior to randomization compared with the four-month intervention period.
Results: Comparing the pretest and intervention periods, the meditation group exhibited a mean decrease of 6.4 absentee periods compared to an increase of 4.8 in the control group (p < .05). The meditation group exhibited a mean decrease of 0.1 infractions over the four months compared to an increase of 0.3 in the control group (p < .03). There was a mean reduction of 0.3 suspension days due to behavior-related problems in the meditation group compared to an increase of 1.2 in the control group (p < .04).
Conclusion: These findings demonstrate that the Transcendental Meditation program conducted in the school setting has a beneficial impact upon absenteeism, rule infractions, and suspension rates in African American adolescents.