Problematic Internet UseNCT07587372
Reducing Problematic Internet Use and Improving Well-Being in Adolescents Through Online Yoga Meditation: A Randomized Controlled Trial
A study testing Sahaja Yoga Meditation Program in people with Problematic Internet Use and Mental Wellbeing, run by Tilburg University at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
This randomized controlled trial investigated the effects of an online Sahaja Yoga meditation program on problematic internet use, mental well-being, self-esteem, and psychological distress among adolescents and youth in the United States. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 12 to 18 years, women onlyHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Problematic Internet Use, Mental Wellbeing
- What is being tested?
- Sahaja Yoga Meditation Program
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 204 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 2 Feb 2025to 7 Sep 2025
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 12 to 18 years
- Women only
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Child, Adult
Who may be able to join
- school going; ii) able to commit to meditation four times a week during a period of six consecutive weeks.
Who cannot join
- currently in treatment for several psychological problems, including trauma and addiction problems ii) already meditating on a regular basis.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
United States1 site
Sahaja Yoga Meditation Virginia
Chantilly, Virginia, 20151
About this study
This randomized controlled trial investigated the effects of an online Sahaja Yoga meditation program on problematic internet use, mental well-being, self-esteem, and psychological distress among adolescents and youth in the United States. Participants aged 12-18 years were randomly assigned to either a six-week online meditation intervention or a waitlist control group. The meditation sessions were delivered online by experienced adolescent practitioners of Sahaja Yoga meditation under adult supervision.
All participants completed standardized self-report questionnaires before and after the intervention period. The study examined whether participation in the meditation program was associated with improvements in mental well-being and self-esteem, as well as reductions in problematic internet use and psychological distress. A follow-up assessment was also conducted for participants in the intervention group.
Read the detailed description
Adolescents today experience increasing levels of stress, anxiety, social pressure, and excessive internet and social media use, which may negatively affect emotional well-being and daily functioning. Meditation-based interventions were considered a potentially accessible, low-cost, and non-pharmacological approach to supporting adolescent mental health and emotional resilience. The findings of this study were expected to contribute to the development of school- and community-based mental health promotion programs for young people.
- Conditions
- Problematic Internet Use, Mental Wellbeing
- Being tested
- Sahaja Yoga Meditation Program, Waitlist control group
- Keywords
- mental wellbeing, problematic internet use, youth, adolescents, meditation, yoga
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Sahaja Yoga Meditation ProgramBehavioural
A 6-week online Sahaja Yoga meditation program consisting of 24 guided meditation sessions delivered four times per week.
Waitlist control groupOther
Participants served as a waitlist control group during the initial 6-week study period and received the intervention after completion of the post-test assessment.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Sahaja Yoga Meditation Group | Experimental | Participants received a 6-week online Sahaja Yoga meditation program consisting of four sessions per week. Receives: Behavioral: Sahaja Yoga Meditation Program |
| Waitlist Control Group | Other | Participants did not receive the intervention during the initial 6-week study period and completed outcome assessments only. After post-test assessment, they received the meditation program. Receives: Other: Waitlist control group |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Problematic internet use
Problematic internet use was measured using the Generalized Problematic Internet Use Scale 2 (GPIUS-2), a 15-item self-report questionnaire designed to assess problematic internet use (Caplan, 2010). The scale measures the subdimensions: 1) preference for online social interaction; 2) mood regulation, 3) cognitive preoccupation; 4) compulsive internet use; 5) negative outcomes, each with three items. Each item is rated on an 8-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (definitely disagree) to 8 (definitely agree), with higher scores indicating greater levels of problematic internet u
Measured: "From enrollment to the end of invention periode at 12 weeks"
Secondary outcomes (1)
Mental well-being
Mental well-being was measured by the Mental Health Continuum-Short Form (MHC-SF), a 14-item questionnaire that measures emotional well-being (three items), social well-being (five items), and psychological well-being (six items) (Lamers, 2015). Participants were asked to indicate their level of well-being over the past four weeks. Each item was rated on a scale from 0 (never) to 5 (every day), with a higher score indicating a higher level of well-being. Cronbach's alpha indicated excellent internal consistency of the scale at both measurement occasions, with α = .91 at pretest and α = .90 at post-test.
Measured: "From enrollment to the end of invention periode at 12 weeks"
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted14 May 2026
- Study start2 Feb 2025
- Primary completion7 Sep 2025
- Study completion7 Sep 2025
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Problematic Internet UseStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- A single- blinded parallel randomized controlled trial (RCT) was conducted, with an intervention group and a waiting-list control group with an allocation ratio of 1:1. Outcomes were measured at baseline, 6 weeks posttest and 3 months
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 204 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Tilburg University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- OP Jindal Global University
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07587372
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- TCM_SYM_2025
- Status last verified
- May 2026
- First submitted
- 7 May 2026
- Last updated
- 14 May 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: Individual participant data (IPD) underlying the results reported in this study, after de-identification, will be available upon reasonable request to the principal investigator after publication of the main study results. Data will be shared for scientific research and educational purposes.
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 14 May 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Reducing Problematic Internet Use and Improving Well-Being in Adolescents Through Online Yoga Meditation: A Randomized Controlled Trial
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07587372
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- TCM_SYM_2025
- Conditions
- Problematic Internet Use, Mental Wellbeing
- Keywords
- mental wellbeing, problematic internet use, youth, adolescents, meditation, yoga
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 204 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Tilburg UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- OP Jindal Global University
- Study start
- 2 Feb 2025 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 7 Sep 2025 (actual)
- Study completion
- 7 Sep 2025 (actual)
- First posted
- 14 May 2026 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
This randomized controlled trial investigated the effects of an online Sahaja Yoga meditation program on problematic internet use, mental well-being, self-esteem, and psychological distress among adolescents and youth in the United States. Participants aged 12-18 years were randomly assigned to either a six-week online meditation intervention or a waitlist control group. The meditation sessions were delivered online by experienced adolescent practitioners of Sahaja Yoga meditation under adult supervision.
All participants completed standardized self-report questionnaires before and after the intervention period. The study examined whether participation in the meditation program was associated with improvements in mental well-being and self-esteem, as well as reductions in problematic internet use and psychological distress. A follow-up assessment was also conducted for participants in the intervention group.
Detailed description
Adolescents today experience increasing levels of stress, anxiety, social pressure, and excessive internet and social media use, which may negatively affect emotional well-being and daily functioning. Meditation-based interventions were considered a potentially accessible, low-cost, and non-pharmacological approach to supporting adolescent mental health and emotional resilience. The findings of this study were expected to contribute to the development of school- and community-based mental health promotion programs for young people.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 2
- Model description
- A single- blinded parallel randomized controlled trial (RCT) was conducted, with an intervention group and a waiting-list control group with an allocation ratio of 1:1. Outcomes were measured at baseline, 6 weeks posttest and 3 months
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Sahaja Yoga Meditation Group | Experimental | Behavioral: Sahaja Yoga Meditation ProgramParticipants received a 6-week online Sahaja Yoga meditation program consisting of four sessions per week. |
| Waitlist Control Group | Other | Other: Waitlist control groupParticipants did not receive the intervention during the initial 6-week study period and completed outcome assessments only. After post-test assessment, they received the meditation program. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 12 to 18 years
- Sex
- Female only
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Child, Adult
Key inclusion criteria (1 listed)
- school going; ii) able to commit to meditation four times a week during a period of six consecutive weeks.
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- currently in treatment for several psychological problems, including trauma and addiction problems ii) already meditating on a regular basis.
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Sahaja Yoga Meditation ProgramA 6-week online Sahaja Yoga meditation program consisting of 24 guided meditation sessions delivered four times per week. | Behavioural | Sahaja Yoga Meditation Group |
| Waitlist control groupParticipants served as a waitlist control group during the initial 6-week study period and received the intervention after completion of the post-test assessment. | Other | Waitlist Control Group |
Primary outcome
Problematic internet use
Time frame: "From enrollment to the end of invention periode at 12 weeks"
Problematic internet use was measured using the Generalized Problematic Internet Use Scale 2 (GPIUS-2), a 15-item self-report questionnaire designed to assess problematic internet use (Caplan, 2010). The scale measures the subdimensions: 1) preference for online social interaction; 2) mood regulation, 3) cognitive preoccupation; 4) compulsive internet use; 5) negative outcomes, each with three items. Each item is rated on an 8-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (definitely disagree) to 8 (definitely agree), with higher scores indicating greater levels of problematic internet u
1 secondary outcome
Mental well-being
Time frame: "From enrollment to the end of invention periode at 12 weeks"
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 14 May 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes. Individual participant data (IPD) underlying the results reported in this study, after de-identification, will be available upon reasonable request to the principal investigator after publication of the main study results. Data will be shared for scientific research and educational purposes.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
The record lists no contact. Use the official record to reach the sponsor.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Sahaja Yoga Meditation Program in people with Problematic Internet Use and Mental Wellbeing, run by Tilburg University at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 1 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 14 May 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Problematic internet use (time frame: "From enrollment to the end of invention periode at 12 weeks"). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 14 May 2026.