Social emotional learning and autonomic regulation enhance social connectedness in female adolescents with extensive exposure to adverse childhood experiences.
Nathan D Chabin, Justine Chen, Matthew Abikenari, Maxim Dembow, Prabha Siddarth, Vickie Mays, Denise A Chavira, Susan Ramsundarsingh, Dara G. Ghahremani
Journal of research on adolescence : the official journal of the Society for Research on Adolescence September 2026 DOI: 10.1111/jora.70228 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Longitudinal study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 174 |
| Population | Female Latinx high school students aged 14-18 in two Southern California high schools, with high (4 or more) or low (fewer than 4) adverse childhood experiences |
| Intervention | daily breathwork |
| Duration | Four-week SKY Schools program plus 8 weeks of daily breathwork; assessments before and after the program and again after 8 weeks |
| Measures | Social Connectedness Scale |
| Topics | Breathwork |
| Keywords | Latinx Sudarshan kriya yoga Adolescents Adverse childhood experiences Autonomic regulation School interventions Social connectedness |
| Key findings | Among female Latinx adolescents with high adverse childhood experiences, the SKY Schools program plus eight weeks of daily breathwork was associated with a 7% increase in social connectedness from baseline, compared with -3% in the high-ACEs control group and -3% in the low-ACEs intervention group. The authors contend that combining social emotional learning with breathwork can reduce social isolation in socially vulnerable adolescents. |
Abstract
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with social isolation, a known contributor to diminishing mental health with consequences for adolescent development. We evaluated effects of the SKY Schools program, which combines social emotional learning (SEL) with training in autonomic regulation (breathwork), on social connectedness (SC) in female Latinx adolescents with high ACEs, a group particularly vulnerable to ACEs effects. In this longitudinal study, female Latinx students (N = 174, 14-18 years; M = 14.97; SD = 0.97) in two Southern California high schools with high (≥4) and low (<4) ACEs either completed the four-week SKY Schools program plus 8 weeks of daily breathwork or underwent their usual physical education curriculum (control). We administered the Social Connectedness Scale before and after the program and again after 8 weeks. Relative to baseline, the high ACEs intervention group showed increased SC (7%) after daily breathwork compared with the control groups (low ACEs: 3%, high ACEs: -3%) and the low ACEs intervention group (-3%) (p < .01). Biopsychosocial programs that combine SEL and breathwork can reduce feelings of social isolation in socially vulnerable Latinx female adolescents, facilitating healthy adolescent development.