Gender and ethnicity: Are they associated with differential outcomes of a biopsychosocial social-emotional learning program?

Breathing life into social emotional learning programs: A Bio‐Psycho‐Social approach to risk reduction and positive youth development

“…Given that girls are disproportionately affected by current mental health challenges, it is encouraging that this study found evidence of similar improvements for both boys and girls in middle school. This is consistent with the authors' previous findings for the SKY Schools Program among older adolescents of high school age (mean age of 15.63 years old; Newman et al, 2020).…”

“…Ghahremani and colleagues' randomized controlled trial found that high school students enrolled in a 4‐week SKY Schools program exhibited significantly less impulsivity than controls (Ghahremani & Oh, Dean, et al, 2013). Moreover, Newman et al (2020) found significant increases in high school SKY graduates on all four SEL domains evaluated: self‐awareness, self‐management, relationship skills, and responsible decision‐making. Similarly, Suarez (2002) documented significant decreases in anxiety, rule infractions, and fighting in incarcerated adolescents following an 8‐week SKY Schools program.…”

A feasibility (pilot) mixed methods study of an innovative non-pharmacological breath-based yoga and social-emotional intervention program in an at-risk youth sample in London, Canada

“…A randomized controlled trial in a multiethnic, nonclinical cohort of older adolescents (mean age 19.7) in the USA found that compared to a nonintervention control group ( n = 47), SKY ( n = 29) caused significant reductions in depression and stress; and significant improvements in mental health, positive affect, mindfulness, and social connectedness; as compared to two other evidence-based wellness programs, Foundations in Emotional Intelligence ( n = 21) and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction ( n = 34); which produced significant improvements in mindfulness only or no outcomes, respectively [ 14 ]. An open-label study ( n = 59) of high school students (mean age 15.6 years; range 14–16 years) found significant improvements in the SEL constructs of self-awareness, self-management, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making [ 15 ]. Another publication reported on the combined findings of two non-randomized open-trial pilot studies on SKY conducted on a total of 74 young adults (age 25.4 ± 6.6 years; 55% female).…”

A Feasibility (pilot) Mixed Methods Study of an Innovative Non-Pharmacological Breath-Based Yoga and Social Emotional Intervention Program in an At-Risk Youth Sample in London, Canada

“…A randomized controlled trial in a multi-ethnic, non-clinical cohort of older adolescents (mean age: 19.67) in the U.S.A. found signi cant reductions in depression and stress; and signi cant improvements in mental health, positive affect and social connectedness (Seppälä et al, 2020). Signi cant improvements in high school students (mean age: 15.6) were documented in the SEL constructs of self-awareness, self-management, relationship skills and responsible decision making (Newman et al, in preparation;Newman et al, 2020), and young adults who practiced SKY demonstrated signi cant reductions in depression and stress; and signi cant improvements in positive affect, emotion regulation, life satisfaction, and social connectedness (Goldstein et al, 2016). Recent clinical trial data from India shows that regular practice of SKY in teens led to signi cant reductions in emotional, conduct, and peer problems as well as promoted pro-social behavior (Kanchibhotla et al, 2021).…”