Systematic Review of Yoga Interventions for Anxiety Reduction Among Children and Adolescents

Abstract

Nearly all studies indicated reduced anxiety after a yoga intervention. However, because of the wide variety of study populations, limitations in some study designs, and variable outcome measures, further research is needed to enhance the ability to generalize and apply yoga to reduce anxiety.

A Randomized Trial of Yoga for Children Hospitalized With Sickle Cell Vaso-Occlusive Crisis

“…51,52 Both the yoga and control groups experienced a nonsignificant drop in state anxiety (>.5 SD change), which could be because of chance or to similar smaller effects on anxiety across groups. In contrast to previous studies that examined the role of yoga in addressing anxiety among children and adolescents, 23 there were no significant changes in mean anxiety scores for those on either arm of our study. It could be hypothesized that we did not see significant reductions in anxiety in our population because the children were experiencing acute pain.…”

“…Yoga utilization nationwide, and the number of yoga providers, has had an upward trend over the last few years including an increased provision of yoga offered in medical clinics as well as mental health and public school settings. 22,23 Because of the multimodal nature of yoga, it is not known which component or components are necessary to produce therapeutic effects. Breathing exercises used to induce relaxation, such as those used in yoga, have been shown to reduce pain and anxiety in hospitalized patients with musculoskeletal trauma.…”

Effectiveness of yoga combined with back school program on anxiety, kinesiophobia and pain in people with non-specific chronic low back pain: a prospective randomized trial

“…The effectiveness of yoga treatments (Hatha, Nidra, etc.) to enhance psychological outcomes in depression 30 , in women with menstrual disorders 31 , in reducing anxiety 32 , in glycemic control 33 , during cancer treatment 34 and, of course, in nCLBP 17 , is widely documented. Back school has proved useful in back pain management 35 but recently Borys et al 36 have proved that this program could be also useful to ameliorate painrelated stress and associated psychological aspects.…”

Evaluating a group-based Yoga of Stress Resilience programme: a pragmatic before–after interventional study protocol

“…18 Studies are also needed to examine yoga's implications for occupational participation and performance. 16 As the positive effects of yoga have been shown for even minimal frequency in practice, integrating such programmes within a variety of settings may provide further benefits in reducing healthcare utilisation for chronic conditions and comorbid mental health conditions. 19 20 Due to the potential for benefits to both the individual and the health system, it is important to: (1) assess the effects of an integrated therapeutic yoga programme in primary care on mental health and well-being and occupational participation in adults dealing with burnout, and (2) identify the necessary implementation considerations to adopt and integrate the programme at a broader health system level.…”