Development of Yoga Intervention Module for Children and Adolescents with Major Depressive Disorder

Area of Science:

• Mental Health
• Complementary and Alternative Medicine
• Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

Background:

• Mental health problems represent a significant global burden, with depression being a leading cause of disability.
• Child and adolescent depression is linked to severe academic, social, and behavioral issues.
• Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM), including yoga, is increasingly explored for mental health support.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a yoga therapy module for children and adolescents.
• To assess the acceptability and preliminary outcomes of yoga therapy in a pediatric population with depression.

Main Methods:

• A three-step process involved literature review, expert validation of a yoga module, and a pilot study.
• The pilot study included five participants with major depressive disorder, assessing depression, stress, and anxiety in children and caregivers.

Main Results:

• Yoga therapy demonstrated high acceptability and compliance among participants.
• Children and adolescents reported overall satisfaction with the yoga intervention.
• A reduction in depression scores was observed post-intervention.

Conclusions:

• Yoga therapy is a viable complementary approach for out-patient clinics treating pediatric depression.
• Further research is needed to establish the efficacy of this yoga therapy intervention.