Meditation induces a positive response during stress events in young Indian adults

BACKGROUND: Relaxation techniques like meditation have been found to be beneficial in reducing stress. AIM: The aim was to find out the effect of the Integrated Amrita Meditation (IAM) technique on the response to life changes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The IAM technique, progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) technique, and the Life Changes Questionnaire (LCQ) were used. LCQ was culturally adapted to the Indian population. One hundred and fifty subjects were randomized into IAM, PMR, and Control groups. LCQ scores were documented in all groups at 0 h, 48 h, 2 months, and 8 months after the training. STATISTICS ANALYSIS: Within groups, comparison was done by the paired t-test and between groups by ANCOVA. RESULTS: The new LCQ was analyzed using split-half reliability and was found to be having a correlation coefficient 0.96. On within group analysis, the IAM group showed a significant decrease in LCQ scores (P = 0.004) in the second visit which was maintained in the third (P = 0.003) and fourth visits (P = 0.001). Within the PMR group, there was a significant decrease (P = 0.006) in the third visit and fourth visits (P = 0.001). No significant change was seen within the control group in any of the visits. The decrease in LCQ scores in the IAM group was significant at the end of 8 months when compared to the Control group (P < 0.05) whereas the decrease in the PMR group was not significant in comparison with the control group. CONCLUSION: The IAM technique is an efficient tool in reducing stress as measured by LCQ.