Effect of an eight-week yoga program on adolescents with Internet Gaming Disorder in an Indian school setting: a randomized controlled trial

Background Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) is increasingly prevalent among adolescents, leading to psychological, social, and academic challenges. Yoga has demonstrated benefits in stress reduction, emotional regulation, attentional control, and overall well-being. Objective This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of an eight-week Integrated Yoga Module in reducing Internet Gaming Disorder symptoms and associated psychological distress among adolescents in a school setting. Methods In this randomized controlled trial, 120 adolescents meeting criteria for IGD were allocated to either yoga group ( n = 60) or a control group ( n = 60) that continued routine academic activities. Assessments were conducted at baseline and post-intervention using the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale (IGDS-20), Parental Internet Gaming Disorder Scale (PIGDS), Internet Addiction Test (IAT), Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21), WHO Quality of Life-BREF (WHO QOL-BREF), UCLA Loneliness Scale, and Mind Wandering Questionnaire (MWQ). Data were analyzed using mixed factorial ANOVA with Group (yoga vs. control) as the between-subjects factor and Time (pre vs. post) as the within-subjects factor, with Bonferroni-adjusted post hoc comparisons. Results Significant Group × Time interactions were observed across all IGDS symptom domains (salience, mood modification, tolerance, withdrawal, conflict, and relapse; all p 0.001), indicating greater reductions in the yoga group relative to controls. A interaction effect was also observed for parent-reported IGD severity ( p 0.001). Significant interaction effects favoring the yoga group were found for internet addiction, depression, anxiety, stress, quality of life (physical, psychological, social, and environment domains), loneliness, and mind wandering (all p 0.001). No significant between-group differences were observed at baseline. Conclusion An eight-week Integrated Yoga practice demonstrated significant improvements in IGD symptoms, emotional distress, quality of life, and cognitive–emotional functioning compared with a control group. Yoga may represent a feasible and scalable complementary intervention for adolescents with IGD. Future trials incorporating active comparators and long-term follow-up are warranted. Clinical trial registration http://ctri.nic.in/Clinicaltrials/login.php , Identifier (CTRI/2022/06/043063).