Emotional indicators of university students: a quasi-experimental pilot study with Hatha-Yoga^*

Objective: to analyze the effects of a Hatha-Yoga program on the emotional indicators of undergraduate students.

Method: this is a quasi-experimental pilot study carried out with 36 students, with the final sample consisting of 14 in the intervention group and 18 in the control group, totaling 32. The participants’ emotional indicators were assessed before and after the Hatha-Yoga intervention, using the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale; Santa Clara Brief Compassion Scale; Self-Compassion Scale; Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview; Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale; Barratt Impulsiveness Scale and Epworth Sleepiness Scale. Descriptive and inferential analyses were carried out using t-tests (paired and for independent groups) to assess the effect of the intervention.

Results: in the intra-group analysis, the intervention group showed an increase in the emotional indicators of compassion, self-compassion and a decrease in anxiety and daytime sleepiness after eight weeks of practicing Hatha-Yoga. In the control group, there was a significant decrease in dispositional mindfulness. In the post-test between-groups analysis, moderate effect size differences were found for self-compassion and dispositional mindfulness.

Conclusion: the practice of Hatha-Yoga had a positive impact on the students’ emotional indicators, contributing to health promotion and expanded self-care (RBR-10jgv7ky).

Descriptors:
Yoga; Emotions; Students; Universities; Mental Health; Quasi-Experimental Studies

Highlights:

(1) Positive impact on participants’ emotional indicators. (2) Decrease in the effects of the participants’ negative indicators. (3) Contribution to health promotion and expanded self-care. (4) Reduction in dispositional mindfulness in the absence of yogic practice.