Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1 Associate of professor, Department of physical education, Tabriz Branch , Islamic Azad university, Tabriz, Iran
2 Sport Sciences Research Institute of Iran
Abstract
Extensive literature supports impulsivity as an important risk factor in crime. On the other hand, more impulsive young adults are more likely to show risky behaviors. In this study, we examined the impact of an 8-week yoga program on the degree of impulsiveness and risk-taking in young male offenders. Sixty-one young male offenders were assigned to the control or intervention group. The intervention group attended in the usual rehabilitation program plus yoga exercises for 8 weeks and the control group attended in a routine rehabilitation program. The two groups were evaluated at the beginning of the study and also after 10 weeks, using the go/no-go test and the IOWA gambling task. The two groups did not differ significantly in terms of demographic characteristics. ANOVA and Tukey post hoc test showed better performance for the intervention group in all subscales of the go/no-go and IOWA gambling tests at the postintervention, and pre- and postintervention stages, respectively. The mean reaction time in the go/no-go test and the mean total time of the IOWA gambling task in the intervention group significantly increased after the intervention. Our study demonstrated that a yoga intervention program may be useful to reduce impulsivity and risky decision-making in young male offenders.
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