IMPLEMENTING THE TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION TECHNIQUE IN A SCHOOL SETTING HELPS SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IMPROVE MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
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Abstract
Mental health in adolescents is currently a worldwide concern. In fact, it has become a crisis that requires urgent attention. The literature clearly explains that one of the main causes of mental health issues in adolescents is stress from educational demands. In Thailand, adolescent mental health problems have been accelerating since 2011 where educational pressure is now the leading cause of suicide. This crisis has been further acerbated by the ongoing pandemic.
Numerous published studies report on the effectiveness of the regular practice of the Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique in reducing stress. Because the TM technique is easy to learn and implement in a school setting, a growing number of studies now show that the TM technique can be very effective in improving mental health and well-being in adolescents.
This pre-post study was designed to observe the effectiveness of the TM technique in improving mental health in students attending an all-girls boarding school in Thailand between the ages of 12 - 16 years. Students’ self-reported questionnaires were used for the study.
The results showed that the TM technique generated significant improvements in emotional symptoms, anxiety, hyperactivity and quality of sleep. Based on these results together with the other published research of this technique, this study suggests that the TM technique can address the current crisis—it can be easily implemented in any school setting to promote good mental health and well-being in students, especially during the continuing effects of the recent pandemic.
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