En studie om stress och yoga

Sammanfattning: Stress is a common phenomenon amongst students and can be experienced differently depending on gender. Yoga’s impact on stress and other mental illnesses is now also well-documented. This study sought to examine relationships between students’ perceived stress level at Lund University and yoga-practice, when taking into account gender and stressors relevant to students. The hypotheses were that yoga-practice reduces the perceived level of stress when influences of other possible stressors are taken into account, and that the strength of the relationship between yoga-practicing and perceived stress level differs between men and women, with women experiencing a greater impact on the level of stress compared to men. The study was conducted through a quantitative survey with participants consisting of 70 students from Lund university with varying degree of experience in yoga-practice. The survey consisted of self-made questions as well as the established PSS-14 (A global measure of perceived stress). The study showed no relationship between Perceived stress level and Yoga-practice. There was a weak correlation between Gender and Yoga-practice as well as between Stressors and Yoga-practice. According to the result the participants experienced no reducing effect on stress by Yoga-practice but females practiced yoga more frequently and had more experience in yoga-practice. Participants who scored high on stressors even practiced yoga more frequently.