Effect of 6 month-yoga training on mental health of Indian jail inmates

Introduction: Prisoners are vulnerable to mental health-related problems. The present study was conducted to determine the effect of 6 months Yoga practice on the mental health of jail inmates. The study's main objective was to assess the impact of 6 months of Yoga practice on the mental health of Jail inmates. Materials and Methods: A total of 37 Tihar Jail inmates (27 males and 10 females) participated in the study. With the help of questionnaires, anxiety, depression, stress, aggression, physical health, psychological health, and general well-being of the jail inmates were assessed. The study employed a Single Group Repeated Measures design. Pre and posttest methods were adopted in the study. Results: Significant reduction in stress and aggression and improvement in physical health, psychological health, and general well-being were found after 6 months Yoga-training; however, there was no significant reduction in anxiety and depression in the combined group. In male inmates, anxiety, depression, stress, and aggression were reduced significantly, and their physical health, psychological health, and general well-being significantly improved after 6 months of Yoga training. In female inmates, aggression got reduced after 6 months of regular Yoga practice; but no significant changes were found in other parameters. Conclusion: Regular Yoga practice for 6 months significantly improved the mental health of Tihar Jail inmates, especially male inmates. However, there is a need to conduct more studies to confirm the results.