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Abstract

ABSTRACT
Depression is a prevalent mental health issue among students, particularly those facing academic stress. While conventional treatments like medication and psychotherapy are commonly used, alternative approaches such as yoga have been recognized for their holistic benefits. This study aims to assess the effectiveness of yoga in alleviating depressive symptoms in academically stressed students
Background
Depression is a significant concern in mental health, especially among students who experience high levels of academic stress. Conventional treatments like medication are widely used, but alternative therapies like yoga are increasingly being explored for their potential benefits in improving mental and emotional health. This study investigates the effect of yoga on depressive symptoms in students, focusing on emotional well-being using SDS and facial emotion recognition technology.
Objectives
The primary objective of this study is to determine how yoga can reduce depressive symptoms in academically stressed students. Specifically, the study seeks to assess the impact of yoga on emotional well-being using SDS and facial emotion recognition (FER), and explore whether yoga can improve mindfulness and emotional stability in students.
Materials and Methods
A total of 30 students, aged 15–30 years, were randomly assigned to two groups: an experimental group (n=15) and a control group (n=15). The experimental group practiced yoga for 12 weeks, five days per week for one hour each morning. Depressive symptoms were measured pre- and post-intervention using the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS), which includes a 4-point scale assessing anxiety and depression levels. Facial emotion recognition (FER) technology was also used to analyse facial expressions and emotional states during both pre- and post-intervention phases.
Results and Discussion
The Shapiro-Wilk test was used to assess the normality of the data for small sample sizes. The test results indicated that the Yoga Group Post-Test data was non-normal (p = 0.023), while the Control Group showed no significant change (p > 0.05). The Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test showed significant improvements in the Yoga Group Post-Test compared to the Pre-Test (Z = -3.417, p = 0.001), suggesting a substantial reduction in depressive symptoms and emotional instability. In contrast, the Control Group showed no significant changes in SDS scores (Z = -0.442, p = 0.659). Additionally, The Facial Emotion Recognition (FER) analysis revealed significant emotional improvements in the Yoga Group. Sadness decreased from 42.67 to 18.80, Anger from 20.07 to 7.13, Fear from 6.33 to 2.27, and Neutral emotions from 15.87 to 4.80. Happiness notably increased from 9.33 to 67.07, while Surprise decreased from 6.13 to 1.93. In contrast, the Control Group showed minimal changes in emotional states, with Sadness remaining nearly the same. These findings highlight the positive impact of yoga in improving emotional stability and well-being in students experiencing academic stress.
Conclusions
This study demonstrates that yoga is an effective intervention for managing depression in academically stressed students. The yoga group showed significant reductions in depressive symptoms and improvements in emotional stability compared to the control group. The findings support the use of yoga as a complementary therapy for enhancing emotional well-being and mindfulness. Further research is needed to explore the long-term effects of yoga and the broader applications of facial emotion recognition in monitoring emotional changes during therapeutic interventions.