Effect of a Structured Yogic Practice Program on Mental Well-Being among Prisoners: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Background: Prisoners often experience poor mental well-being due to the stressful prison environment. Yoga has been recognized as a holistic approach to promoting psychological health and positive well-being. Objective: This study aimed to examine the effect of a six-week yoga intervention on the mental well-being of prisoners. Methods: A randomized controlled pre-test–post-test design was conducted among 150 male prisoners from Gwalior Central Jail, India. Participants were randomly allocated to an experimental group (n = 75) and a control group (n = 75). The experimental group participated in a supervised 35-minute daily yoga programme for six weeks, while the control group continued routine prison activities. Mental well-being was assessed using the Warwick–Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS). Paired samples t-test was used to examine within-group changes, and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was performed to compare post-test scores while controlling for baseline values. Results: The experimental group showed a significant improvement in mental well-being following the intervention (t (74) = −25.690, p = .001, Cohen's d = -2.966), whereas the control group showed no significant change (t (74) = −1.435, p = .155). However, ANCOVA revealed that the adjusted post-test difference between the experimental and control groups was not statistically significant, F (1,146) = 1.623, p = .205, partial η² = .011. Conclusion: The findings indicate that a six-week yoga programme improved mental well-being within the experimental group but did not produce a significant advantage over the control group after controlling for baseline scores. Longer-duration yoga interventions may be required to achieve significant between-group improvements in prisoners' mental well-being.