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The objectives of this investigation was to determine the effectiveness of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) intervention for reducing anxiety, enhancing self- control and improving academic performance among adolescent students. The present study consisted of 300 adolescent students in the age group of 15-18 years, selected through random sampling. State- Trait Anxiety Inventory by Spiel berger et al. and Self-control Scale by Tangney et al. were administered to 150 boys and 150 girls and their academic scores were collected from their performance in continuous assessment. Pre-test and post-test with randomized control group design was used for the present study. MBSR was given to the students in the experimental group for a period of 8 weeks while the control group did not receive the intervention, following which a post-test was carried out. Statistical analyses such as Independent sample 't' test, Paired t test, Multi variate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) and Multi variate Analysis of Covariance (MANCOVA) were used for this study. The results indicate that MBSR is effective for reducing anxiety, enhancing self-control and improving academic performance among adolescent students. This intervention ensured that students could use it for their well-being not only at the present, but also in the future circumstances. Therefore, MBSR may be included in the school curriculum in order to help adolescent students who cope with the expectations and challenges of educational demands.
Keywords: anxiety, academic performance, self-control, mindfulness based stress reduction, adolescents
Adolescence is characterized by many changes to which the adolescent needs to adapt. Along with these physical and psychological changes, they also face the pressures of increased competition to excel in their academics. The period of adolescence in one's life is a very critical and decisive period acting as a base for their future and it is during the school life that it takes shape. Higher secondary education paves way for a bright future but it brings along intense levels of anxiety in this age mainly during the board examinations. Board examinations place greater stress on the students as they are expected to secure high percentages in order to obtain admissions into courses of their choice in premier institutions. This increased competition to obtain a good percentage places a lot of stress and anxiety and this in fact...