Psychological Distress in Racial and Ethnic Minority Students Research Paper

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Introduction

This evaluation is based on a journal article entitled Reduced Psychological Distress in Racial and Ethnic Minority Students Practicing the Transcendental Mediation Program. It was a research conducted and documented by Elder et al. (2011). The research study involved 106 students out of which 68 of them were meditating students. The students were sourced from public schools located in Arizona, South Dakota, and Connecticut. The schools in Connecticut were located in the urban settings with a huge number of African American students. Schools in South Dakota are found in rural settings. The majority are the native Indian populations. On the other hand, Arizona schools serve most of the Hispanic students. The selection procedure ensured that the American Indians, the Hispanics, and the African American were 19%, 26%, and 25% respectively (Elder et al., 2011).

How the study was conducted

This study was carried out to evaluate the effects of the Transcendental Meditation Program on Psychological distress among the racial and ethnic minority in the United States. The program is taught in American schools in a seven-step course. Moreover, the students are encouraged to practice it at least twice every day while still in school. In each of school where this research study was carried out, the students volunteered to the program. It was carried out in a period of 4 months whereby two major groups were involved in the study. The actual participants of the Transcendental Mediation program and a control group that did not learn or practice the program helped in ascertaining the difference (Elder et al., 2011). The participants of the study were to be involved in programs such as sitting quietly, resting, reading, and working at home. The psychological distresses were measured using Strengths Difficult Questionnaires (SDQ) of the participants. It was also based on the emotional symptom scale. The scale has 3 points of reference (0-2). A questionnaire entitled “how I feel” containing twenty items to be responded to by the student was used to ascertain the anxiety levels. In addition, mental health was assessed using the Mental Health Inventory (MHI). It employed a six-point response scale (Elder et al, 2011). The variability in the expected outcomes was analyzed using a control group.

Results of the study

The study indicated positive results for participants of the program. Hence, the program reduced the psychological distress of the participants. The results were consistent across all ethnic groups that participated in the study. The data indicated reduced anxiety, emotional, and depressive symptoms among all the students who took part in the program. These students had a generally positive influence on those who were non-meditating and the school as a whole according to the information gathered from the school administration.

This method was found to be an effective way of controlling distress among students in secondary schools. It implied that the application policies had to be revised in order to ensure effective application of the procedure. This is important because previously, research studies indicated high levels of distrust among secondary school students. This category comprised mainly of those from the minority groups in the United States (Chawkin, 2011).

The enforcement of this procedure will enhance positive behavioral patterns, impressive performance, decreased psychological anguish, and overall good health (Chawkin, 2011).

Conclusions and recommendations

The article would be very informative especially if theoretical knowledge can be fully implemented (Chawkin, 2011). The research study was effective. However, using of the control group is highly recommended in this study. It will ensure that the results of the study are authentic. Since the study did not involve the non-meditating students, it is necessary for future research studies to incorporate this category.

References

Elder, C., Nidich, S., Colbert, R., Hagelin, J., Grayshield, L., Oviedo-Lim, D., Nidich, R., Rainforth, M., Jones, C., & Gerace, D. (2011). Reduced Psychological Distress in Racial and Ethnic Minority Students Practicing the Transcendental Mediation Program. Journal of Instructional Psychology 38(2), 109-116.

Chawkin, K. (2011). . Web.

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IvyPanda. 2020. "Psychological Distress in Racial and Ethnic Minority Students." May 20, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/psychological-distress-in-racial-and-ethnic-minority-students/.

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