Exploring the Efficacy of a Modified School-Based Yoga Intervention on Aggression and Emotional Regulation in Children

PURPOSE: Bullies and their victims in elementary school display issues related to specific and global mental function such as managing emotions and maintaining emotional stability. In school-based settings, yoga has been found to decrease aggression and to increase emotional well-being among adolescents. However, there is limited research on the effectiveness of yoga programs in elementary-age populations, and the sustainability of yoga programs is challenging due to time constraints in the school day. The purpose of this study is to explore the efficacy of a 5-min yoga-based protocol in decreasing aggressive behaviors and enhancing overall emotional regulation skills in elementary-school students.

DESIGN: A nonequivalent control group study with repeated measures was conducted over a 10-wk period on third-grade children (N = 67) from a rural elementary school. Participants were recruited through purposive sampling based on previous findings that third grade children are at risk for bullying behaviors.

METHOD: The treatment group (n = 30) received weekly 5-min yoga sessions (3×/wk) that were structured by the researchers and implemented by the guidance counselor (1×/wk) and physical education teachers (2×/wk). Data were collected through a multidimensional approach. The Child Self-Report of Personality subtest of the Behavior Assessment System for Children, Third Edition (BASC–3), includes a 142-item questionnaire composed of true–false questions and a four-point scale (1 = never, 4 = almost always). The BASC–3 includes 19 subscales, including atypicality and self-esteem, to provide insight into a child’s feelings. The Teacher Observation of Child Adaptation–Checklist (TOCA–C) includes a 24-item list to examine the frequency of each student’s maladaptive and prosocial behaviors observed by the teachers using a six-point scale (1 = almost never, 6 = almost always). Momentary time sampling was used to code students’ physical, verbal, and nonverbal aggressive behaviors for 60-s intervals during three 20-min sessions.

RESULTS: Analysis comparing results of the BASC–3 and TOCA–C assessments using Spearman’s rho nonparametric correlation found that teacher-reported disruptive behaviors (TOCA–C) had a moderately positive correlation (r = .492, p = .00) with student-reported atypicality (BASC–3). Therefore, children who reported issues with having a sense of belonging at school tended to display more disruptive behaviors in the classroom. Boys reported greater problems than girls in Attitude to School (t = 3.44, p = .001) and Locus of Control (t = 2.86, p = .006), while girls reported greater problems with Self-Esteem (t = –2.25, p = .03). Results from behavioral observations during momentary time sampling indicated a decrease in overall aggression from baseline to the midpoint of the intervention.

CONCLUSION: Based on findings, a modified, brief school-based yoga intervention may give students the ability to enhance their sense of belonging and decrease disruptive behaviors in the classroom. Additionally, future protocols may require gender-specific modifications to address differences among the reported problems of boys and girls. Enhancing students’ self-awareness through the use of yoga may contribute to higher level cognitive functioning. This may increase emotional stability and potentially decrease overall bullying behaviors in schools. Findings of this study provide initial support regarding sustainability of a yoga-based protocol, implemented consultatively by occupational therapists, to decrease bullying observed in schools.