Problematic Internet Use, Mental Wellbeing
Conditions
Keywords
mental wellbeing, problematic internet use, youth, adolescents, meditation, yoga
Brief summary
This randomized controlled trial investigated the effects of an online Sahaja Yoga meditation program on problematic internet use, mental well-being, self-esteem, and psychological distress among adolescents and youth in the United States. Participants aged 12-18 years were randomly assigned to either a six-week online meditation intervention or a waitlist control group. The meditation sessions were delivered online by experienced adolescent practitioners of Sahaja Yoga meditation under adult supervision. All participants completed standardized self-report questionnaires before and after the intervention period. The study examined whether participation in the meditation program was associated with improvements in mental well-being and self-esteem, as well as reductions in problematic internet use and psychological distress. A follow-up assessment was also conducted for participants in the intervention group.
Detailed description
Adolescents today experience increasing levels of stress, anxiety, social pressure, and excessive internet and social media use, which may negatively affect emotional well-being and daily functioning. Meditation-based interventions were considered a potentially accessible, low-cost, and non-pharmacological approach to supporting adolescent mental health and emotional resilience. The findings of this study were expected to contribute to the development of school- and community-based mental health promotion programs for young people.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALSahaja Yoga Meditation Program
A 6-week online Sahaja Yoga meditation program consisting of 24 guided meditation sessions delivered four times per week.
Participants served as a waitlist control group during the initial 6-week study period and received the intervention after completion of the post-test assessment.
Sponsors
Tilburg University
OP Jindal Global University
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)
Intervention model description
A single- blinded parallel randomized controlled trial (RCT) was conducted, with an intervention group and a waiting-list control group with an allocation ratio of 1:1. Outcomes were measured at baseline, 6 weeks posttest and 3 months
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
FEMALE
Age
12 Years to 18 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
i) school going; ii) able to commit to meditation four times a week during a period of six consecutive weeks.
Exclusion criteria
i) currently in treatment for several psychological problems, including trauma and addiction problems ii) already meditating on a regular basis.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Problematic internet use | "From enrollment to the end of invention periode at 12 weeks" | Problematic internet use was measured using the Generalized Problematic Internet Use Scale 2 (GPIUS-2), a 15-item self-report questionnaire designed to assess problematic internet use (Caplan, 2010). The scale measures the subdimensions: 1) preference for online social interaction; 2) mood regulation, 3) cognitive preoccupation; 4) compulsive internet use; 5) negative outcomes, each with three items. Each item is rated on an 8-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (definitely disagree) to 8 (definitely agree), with higher scores indicating greater levels of problematic internet u |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Mental well-being | "From enrollment to the end of invention periode at 12 weeks" | Mental well-being was measured by the Mental Health Continuum-Short Form (MHC-SF), a 14-item questionnaire that measures emotional well-being (three items), social well-being (five items), and psychological well-being (six items) (Lamers, 2015). Participants were asked to indicate their level of well-being over the past four weeks. Each item was rated on a scale from 0 (never) to 5 (every day), with a higher score indicating a higher level of well-being. Cronbach's alpha indicated excellent internal consistency of the scale at both measurement occasions, with α = .91 at pretest and α = .90 at post-test. |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed