ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Educ.
Sec. Mental Health and Wellbeing in Education
Volume 10 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/feduc.2025.1583413
The Effects of Transcendental Meditation on Emotional Intelligence, Stress, Fatigue, and Sleep Quality Among Ayurvedic Medical Students in India
Provisionally accepted
Carol Paredes1*
Sandy Nidich1Gunvant Yeola2Asmita Wele3Santosh Kamble2Kamalakar Tehre2Robert Keith Wallace1Lothar Pirc4- 1Department of Physiology and Health, Maharishi International University, Fairfield, Alabama, United States
- 2Dr. D. Y. Patil College of Ayurved and Research Center of Dr. D. Y. Patil Vidyapeeth (Deemed to be University), Pimpri, Pune, India, Pimpre, Pune, India
- 3Dr. D. Y. Patil College of Ayurved and Research Center, Pimpri, Pune of Dr. D. Y. Patil Vidyapeeth (Deemed to be University), Pimpri, Pune, India
- 4Maharishi Ayurveda Health Centre Bad Ems, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany
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Introduction: Emotional intelligence (EI) is essential for resilience and adaptability in highpressure environments such as medical education. Transcendental Meditation (TM) has been shown to enhance emotional regulation, reduce stress, and improve well-being. This quasiexperimental, longitudinal observational study evaluated the effects of TM on emotional intelligence, perceived stress, fatigue, and sleep quality among Ayurvedic medical students over a six-month period. Methods: This study included 176 Ayurvedic medical students at D. Y. Patil College of Ayurved and Research Center of Dr. D. Y. Patil Vidyapeeth (Deemed to be University) in India, comprising a TM group (n = 97) and a control group (n = 79). Global Emotional Intelligence (Global EI) and its subdomains (Well-being, Emotionality, Self-Control, and Sociability) were assessed using the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire, Short Form (TEIQue-SF). Secondary outcomes included perceived stress (Perceived Stress Scale; PSS), fatigue (PROMIS Fatigue Short Form), and insomnia severity (Insomnia Severity Index; ISI). Assessments were conducted at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months. Linear mixed-effects models (LMMs) were used to evaluate Group × Time interactions for each outcome, controlling for age. An autoregressive [AR(1)] covariance structure was specified to account for repeated measures. Pairwise comparisons based on estimated marginal means were used to assess between-group differences at each timepoint. Results: Significant Group × Time interactions were observed for Global Emotional Intelligence (EI) (p < .001), perceived stress (p < .001), fatigue (p < .001), and insomnia severity (p < .001), indicating that the TM and control groups showed different patterns of change over time. Specifically, the TM group demonstrated substantial improvements in Global EI and significant reductions in perceived stress, fatigue, and insomnia severity by six months compared to the control group. Secondary analyses also revealed significant Group × Time interactions across all four Global EI subdomains (Well-being, Emotionality, Self-Control, and Sociability; all p < .001). Conclusion: Regular practice of Transcendental Meditation (TM) led to meaningful improvements in emotional intelligence, reductions in perceived stress and fatigue, and enhanced sleep quality among Ayurvedic medical students. These findings support integrating TM into student wellness programs as an effective strategy for promoting psychological resilience in high-stress academic environments.
Keywords: transcendental meditation, Emotional Intelligence, stress reduction, Fatigue, sleep quality, Ayurveda medical students, Consciousness-based education
Received: 25 Feb 2025; Accepted: 15 May 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Paredes, Nidich, Yeola, Wele, Kamble, Tehre, Wallace and Pirc. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Carol Paredes, Department of Physiology and Health, Maharishi International University, Fairfield, Alabama, United States
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.