OBJECTIVE MEASUREMENT OF OUTCOME OF MENTAL HEALTH INTERVENTIONS IN ADOLESCENTS

Vrushali Kulkarni*, Kishor Nimje and Sundaram Kartikeyan

ABSTRACT

This before-and-after interventional study (without controls) was conducted on 30 male and 30 female junior college students in a metropolitan city to objectively measure the effect of interventions on the happiness level of junior college students. After explaining the study to students and their parents, written informed consent was obtained from parents as well as students who were willing to participate in the study. After taking pre-intervention readings on Neurobics Machine readings, a two-hour intervention was carried out to improve the way students perceived their feelings about themselves and their surroundings. Subsequently, post-intervention readings were recorded using the same Neurobics Machine. The pre-and post-intervention difference in the mean values of Neurobics Machine readings was significant (paired t-test value=2.076; p=0.042), indicating that the intervention was effective in improving the way students perceived their feelings about themselves and their surroundings. There was no significant gender difference (paired t-test value=0.535; p=0.596). The findings indicate that as compared to males, female participants had a higher level of happiness, both before and after intervention. The methods available to measure subjective wellbeing are potentially biased because of their excessive dependence on self-reported variables. The Neurobics Machine seems to be a cost-effective objective method to measure wellbeing.

Keywords: Meditation, Mental health intervention, Neurobic Machine, Yoga.