Effect of Tai Chi Therapy on Anxiety Among Adolescent Girls in Selected Schools of Salem, Tamil Nadu

Abstract

Anxiety symptoms during adolescence may affect emotional well-being, concentration, sleep and participation in school and social activities. Tai Chi is a mind–body practice that combines slow, coordinated movements, controlled breathing and focused attention, and it may offer a supportive approach to stress management. This study aimed to assess changes in anxiety scores among adolescent girls following a supervised Tai Chi intervention in selected schools in Salem District, Tamil Nadu, India. A quantitative, One group pre-test–post-test design was used. The sample comprised 120 girls aged 12–17 years selected through purposive sampling. Anxiety was assessed using the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A), and the intervention was Yang-style Tai Chi. Frequencies, percentages, means, standard deviations and a paired-samples t-test were reported. This present study reported that the mean score decreased from 15.33 (SD 10.45) before the intervention to 10.26 (SD 6.69) afterwards, a mean reduction of 5.07 points. Mild anxiety was reported in 68 participants (56.7%) at pre-test and 101 (84.2%) at post-test; moderate anxiety was reported in 44 (36.7%) and 19 (15.8%), respectively, while eight participants (6.6%) were classified as having severe anxiety at pre-test and none at post-test and a paired t-value of 9.833 and p = 0.001; findings suggest improvement between assessments, so the study concluded that Tai Chi therapy had reduced the level of anxiety among Adolescents