Tools for Wellbeing COVID-19 National Study of Undergraduate Students

Rutgers The State University of New Jersey

Status: Unknown

Conditions: Resilience; Wellbeing; Mood; Depression; Anxiety; Stress

Treatments: Other: Yoga

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT04414371

Pro2020000953

Details and patient eligibility

About

The study evaluates the effectiveness of yoga practices on reducing stress, negative emotion, anxiety, and depression and on increasing positive emotion, wellbeing and resilience. The study uses randomized wait-list control. All U.S. undergraduate students in 4-year universities and colleges age 18 or older are eligible to participate.

Full description

The purpose of this project is to widely disseminate a system of yoga tools to university students, faculty, and staff internationally to buffer the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. A recent study finds that stress, anxiety, and depression are the major psychological responses to COVID-19 during the early outbreaks in China (Wang et al., 2020). Globally, universities have closed campuses and moved learning, teaching, and working online with a very short notice. CDC suggests that keeping physically active and meditation are among the key activities to maintain a strong immune system and mental health during quarantine. Studies have documented physical and mental benefits of yoga practices (Balasubramaniam, Telles, & Doraiswamy, 2013; Brems, 2015; Brunner, Abramovitch, & Etherton, 2017; Büssing, Michalsen, Telles, Sherman, & Khalsa, 2012) This project introduces a system of yoga tools to buffer the psychological impact of COVID-19. This system of yoga tools is designed by Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, a yogi, mystic, author, and founder of the Isha Foundation. The Isha foundation is a volunteer-based international non-profit organization, offering yoga and meditation programs for human wellbeing and global harmony. In partnership with the Isha Foundation and Harvard University Medical School, the study will document the short-term and long-term effects of these yogic practices on stress, mood, wellbeing, resilience, and academic engagement for students and work engagement for faculty and staff during this challenging time.

Enrollment: 200 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• 18 or older
• Enrolled in 4-year universities/colleges in 2020
• Not graduate in May 2020

Exclusion criteria

• Younger than 18
• Not enrolled in 4-year universities/colleges in 2020
• Graduate in May 2020

Trial design

Primary purpose: Supportive Care

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Crossover Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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200 participants in 2 patient groups

Group 1 - Yoga Group

Experimental group

Description:

Learn online yoga practices and practice daily for 12-weeks

Treatment:

Other: Yoga

Group 2 - Control Group

Other group

Description:

waist-list control for 4-week, cross-over to yoga practice for 8-week

Treatment:

Other: Yoga