Effect of Yoga among Children and Adolescents Diagnosed with Psychiatric Disorders: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Background: Depression has been expected to be the second-leading cause of disability, followed by autism, attention and hyperactivity disorder, and learning disorder. Yoga therapy has found to be beneficial in managing psychiatric disorders. Aim: The present study undertakes a scoping review of research on yoga therapy in psychiatric disorders among children and adolescents. Methods: Online database was used to identify papers published 2004–2023, from which we selected 11 publications from the United States, Canada, Iran, India, and Australia that used yoga therapy as a primary outcome variable among participants aged 3 years or older. Results: The papers reviewed were randomized controlled trials. All studies examined yoga therapy, but one study used mindfulness-based therapy and used few techniques of yoga therapy. The studies examined the effect of yoga therapy on early childhood and adolescence on various psychiatric symptoms such as stress, inattention, hyperactivity, anxiety, depression, and many more. Conclusion: While the quality of studies is generally high, research on yoga therapy among children and adolescents with psychiatric disorders would benefit from careful selection of methods and reference standards, suitability for yoga therapy, and prospective cohort studies linking early childhood exposures with yoga therapy outcomes throughout childhood and adolescence.

Keywords

• deep breathing
• meditation
• mental illness
• mood
• relaxation
• youth