Reducing Problematic Internet Use and Improving Well-Being in Adolescents Through Online Yoga Meditation: A Randomized Controlled Trial

May 7, 2026 updated by: Tilburg University

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.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

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.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

204

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Virginia
      • Chantilly, Virginia, United States, 20151
        • Sahaja Yoga Meditation Virginia

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child
  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

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.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Prevention
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Sahaja Yoga Meditation Group
Participants received a 6-week online Sahaja Yoga meditation program consisting of four sessions per week.
Behavioral: Sahaja Yoga Meditation Program
A 6-week online Sahaja Yoga meditation program consisting of 24 guided meditation sessions delivered four times per week.
Other: Waitlist Control Group
Participants did not receive the intervention during the initial 6-week study period and completed outcome assessments only. After post-test assessment, they received the meditation program.
Other: Waitlist control group
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.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Problematic internet use
Time Frame: "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
"From enrollment to the end of invention periode at 12 weeks"

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Mental well-being
Time Frame: "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.
"From enrollment to the end of invention periode at 12 weeks"

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Tilburg University

Collaborators

OP Jindal Global University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

February 2, 2025

Primary Completion (Actual)

September 7, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

September 7, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

May 7, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 7, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

May 14, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

May 14, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 7, 2026

Last Verified

May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

  • TCM_SYM_2025

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

Individual participant data (IPD) underlying the results reported in this study, after de-identification, will be available upon reasonable request to the principal investigator after publication of the main study results. Data will be shared for scientific research and educational purposes.

IPD Sharing Time Frame

September 2025 to September 2035

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

Access will be provided through a secure data-sharing procedure in accordance with institutional and ethical guidelines.

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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