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Effect of Sookshma Meditation on Internet Addiction, Emotional Regulation, and Mindfulness in School Children: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Chanchal Surywanshi, Ashween Bilagi, Meghnath Verma, Sony Kumari, Suman Kollipara, K Prabhakar

Indian Journal of Science and Technology August 23, 2025 DOI: 10.17485/ijst/v18i31.781 (opens in new tab)

Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed
Sample size 80
Population School-going children aged 12-14 years (44 boys, 36 girls)
Dose 30 minutes daily, 5 sessions per week
Duration 4 weeks
Topics Addiction Meditation
Key findings Sookshma Meditation significantly reduced internet addiction and improved emotional regulation (cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression) and mindfulness compared with a control group. The authors suggest the practice may be useful for school children but call for confirmation in larger, longer-term studies.

Abstract

Objectives: To determine the effect of Sookshma Meditation (SM) on Internet Addiction (IA), Emotional Regulation (ER), and Mindfulness in School Children- A randomized controlled trial.

Methods: A randomized control trial designed to assess the effect of SM (Meditation-based Yoga practices) on IA, ER, and Mindfulness in school-going children. After screening, 80 school-going children (44 boys & 36 girls) with the age range of 12-14 years (13.37 0.69) were randomly assigned into two groups. Each group (Intervention & Control) contains 40 students. The intervention group had undergone the SM program daily for 30 minutes, 5 sessions per week, for four weeks. The control group followed day-to-day regular activities. Assessments were made before and after the 4-week program in two groups.

Results: The result showed that IA was significantly reduced (P<0.001) in the intervention group, compared to the control group. A significant improvement is seen in ER strategies like cognitive reappraisal (P<0.001), expressive suppression (P=0.009), and mindfulness after the SM practice in the intervention group as compared to the control group.

Conclusion: This study suggests that SM practice may be useful in reducing IA, enhancing ER, and mindfulness in school children. These findings need confirmation from studies with larger sample sizes with long term intervention. Keywords: Meditation, Yoga, Internet Addiction, Emotional Regulation, Mindfulness

Comparable studies

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Study Year Design Participants
Percentage of Heavy Drinking Days Following Psilocybin-Assisted Psychotherapy vs Placebo in the Treatment of Adult Patients With Alcohol Use Disorder Adults aged 25–65 with DSM-IV alcohol dependence and at least 4 heavy drinking days in... 2022 Randomized controlled trial n = 95
Ketamine psychotherapy for heroin addiction: immediate effects and two-year follow-up. Detoxified heroin-addicted patients 2002 Randomized controlled trial n = 70
A Single Ketamine Infusion Combined With Motivational Enhancement Therapy for Alcohol Use Disorder: A Randomized Midazolam-Controlled Pilot Trial. Adults with alcohol dependence engaged in motivational enhancement therapy 2019 Randomized controlled trial n = 40
A Single Ketamine Infusion Combined With Mindfulness-Based Behavioral Modification to Treat Cocaine Dependence: A Randomized Clinical Trial. Cocaine-dependent adults 2019 Randomized controlled trial n = 55
Single Versus Repeated Sessions of Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy for People with Heroin Dependence Detoxified inpatients with heroin dependence 2007 Randomized controlled trial n = 59

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