The Effectiveness of Yoga Education on the Aggression of Students with Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Psychology, Zahedan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Zahedan, Iran.

2 Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Sistan and Baluchestan, Zahedan, Iran

3 Department of Psychology, Zahedan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Zahedan, Iran

Abstract

Aim: This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of Yoga training on the aggression of students with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
 
Method: The research method employed a semi-experimental design with a pre-test/post-test and a two-month follow-up for the control groups. The statistical population included 60 male students aged 7-12 years in Zahedan, who were referred to Counseling Centers during the 2018-2019 academic years. The participants were screened using the Children Symptom Inventory questionnaire by Gado and Sprafkin (1994). Forty students with ADHD and high levels of aggression were selected through purposive sampling and randomly assigned to two experimental groups (20 students) and a control group (20 students). The Bass & Perry Aggression Questionnaire (1992) was utilized, and the experimental group received a Yoga Training Program for 16 sessions of 45 minutes over 8 weeks. Data were analyzed using mixed variance analysis with repeated measurements.
 
Results: The results indicated that Yoga training had a significant effect on reducing general aggression, physical aggression, verbal aggression, anger, and hostility at the posttest stage (all with p < 0.05). Furthermore, this reduction in aggression was sustained at the two-month follow-up.
 
Conclusion: The findings suggest that Yoga education is effective in reducing aggression in students with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Therefore, implementing Yoga programs for children with ADHD may be essential, and therapists could consider incorporating Yoga as an intervention to help reduce aggression in this population.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

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