Efficacy of Slow Deep Breathing Exercise to Manage Stress among Adolescent School Students

The present study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of slow deep breathing exercise on stress. An experimental approach with one group pretest posttest control group design was adopted. A stratified random sample (N=100) students proportionately selected from grade six to twelve and they were randomly assigned to experimental and control group. Slow deep breathing exercise was administered for a session of 30 minutes/day for a period of 45 consecutive days. Kendler's Stress Scale was administered to assess the level of stress among students before and after slow deep breathing exercise. Stress scores obtained from the participants before and after intervention was subjected to statistical analysis. Descriptive and inferential statistics were employed to assess the efficacy of slow deep breathing exercise. The result revealed that there is a significant reduction in the level of stress after slow deep breathing exercise. Hence, stress reduction among adolescent school students was attributed to slow deep breathing exercise.