Psychophysiological and Behavioral Effects of Meditation on High School Students
Nilson Vieira Pinto, R. Sousa, Moreira Sarmento Vivianne Dos Santos, Layanne Faustino Sales, Mirna Albuquerque Frota
Salud Mental March 19, 2026 DOI: 10.17711/sm.0185-3325.2026.04 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Quasi-experimental mixed design Qualitative Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 473 |
| Population | High school adolescents |
| Intervention | Meditation |
| Duration | 8 weeks |
| Measures | Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale for Adolescents (DASS-21), WHOQOL-bref |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Eight weeks of meditation significantly improved quality of life in physical, psychological, personal satisfaction, and general domains, and reduced depression, anxiety, and stress scores. Qualitative reports indicated better symptom control and healthy behavioral changes. |
Abstract
Introduction. Although anxiety and depression disorders in adolescence are considered a worrying public health problem, there is a dearth of research on the issue, particularly of intervention strategies in the school environment designed to improve students’ mental health. Objective. To evaluate the quality of life and anxiety, stress, and depression levels in high school adolescents regularly engaging in meditation. Method. This is a quasi-experimental, mixed design study with qualitative features, comprising 473 high school students. Depression, anxiety, and stress levels was evaluated using the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale for Adolescents (DASS-21), and quality of life was assessed with the WHOQOL-bref questionnaire before and after eight weeks of meditation. The qualitative evaluation was guided by participant observation, in-depth interviews and focus group testimonials. Results. Results showed a significant improvement in the perception of quality of life in the following domains: physical (p = .022), psychological (p = .018), personal satisfaction (p = .012), and general quality of life (p = .014). Improvements were observed and across all domains (Depression: p = .014; Anxiety: p = .002; Stress: p = .007) in the comparison between the pre- and post-meditation period. The control of physical, psychophysiological and behavioral symptoms was reflected in the analysis of the interviews and the focus group testimonial. Discussion and conclusion. Meditation improved quality of life, reducing physical and psychophysiological symptoms, and promoting healthy behavioral changes in students.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Cancer patients (clinical intervention study) | 2003 | Mixed methods: scale development, correlational, quasi-experimental, laboratory, experience-sampling, and clinical intervention study | |
| Loving-kindness meditation increases social connectedness. | 2008 | Controlled laboratory experiment | |
| Mindfulness and mind-wandering: Finding convergence through opposing constructs. | 2012 | Two studies: correlational study and experimental study | |
| Mental Training Enhances Attentional Stability: Neural and Behavioral Evidence | 2009 | Experimental study | |
| Mindfulness meditation and substance use in an incarcerated population. Incarcerated population | 2006 | Quasi-experimental with treatment-as-usual control condition |
Citations in the library
Cites 2
- Effects of Yoga Respiratory Practice (Bhastrika pranayama) on Anxiety, Affect, and Brain Functional Connectivity and Activity: A Randomized Controlled Trial Frontiers in Psychiatry May 21, 2020
- School-Based meditation in adolescents: an integrative literature review International journal of adolescent medicine and health January 20, 2023