Creative Movement and Yoga Relate to Stress Reduction for Children in Head Start Preschool

• In Event: Arts Learning Across the Lifespan: Social-Emotional, Cognitive, and Physiological Benefits

Abstract

Objective: The present study examines whether a creative movement and yoga program designed for Head Start preschools might reduce cortisol levels for children facing stress and trauma related to poverty and systemic racism.

Perspectives: Over the past 20 years, research has clarified the toxic effects of chronic stress and trauma (Blair & Raver, 2016). High levels of stress hormones that result from poverty and systemic racism can flood brain areas involved in cognition and emotion, and harm physical health. During the same 20 years or more, creative arts programs have faced jeopardy, losing public funding and space in school curricula (Parsad & Spiegelman, 2012). Yet as creative arts programs have been cut, practitioners and policymakers have turned to the healing arts practice of mindfulness to address effects of toxic stress (Van Dam et al., 2018).

Although research to date suggests positive effects of yoga and mindfulness (Gould et al., 2016), there is little research to guide the implementation of these programs with young children facing stress and trauma related to poverty and systemic racism. Further, we may be overlooking the value of creative arts, and abandoning creative arts programs that could build on child and family strengths and contribute uniquely to combatting effects of stress and trauma.

Method: An experimental design facilitated testing the impact of experimental yoga and creative movement classes for children in a Head Start preschool. The Head Start randomly assigned children, by preschool class, to one of four conditions: (1) “Creativity” (1x per week creative movement class); (2) “Calm” (1x per week yoga and mindfulness class); (3) “Creativity and Calm” (1x per week creative movement and 1x per week yoga and mindfulness); or (4) Control Group (Head Start as usual, with no yoga or creative movement classes). Children provided saliva samples just after yoga and creative movement or control classes and these samples were assayed to test levels of the stress hormone cortisol.

Data sources: All children in the Head Start were eligible for participation, and approximately 70% participated (N = 151). Parents or guardians provided informed consent. Children provided assent before saliva sampling via a cotton swab placed in their mouth for approximately 1 minute. Samples were analyzed for levels of the stress hormone cortisol using standard procedures.

Results: Hierarchical Linear Models or HLMs, which were appropriate for the nested data, examined the impact of experimental yoga and creative movement versus control classes on stress levels. Children showed lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol following both yoga (β = -0.166344, SE = 0.050250, p < .001) and creative movement (β = -0.151733, SE = 0.055170, df = 986, p = .006) in comparison to control classes.

Significance: This is the first experimental investigation we know of to document cortisol reductions correspondent to participation in yoga/mindfulness for children in Head Start preschool. The present results encourage a scalable model of arts and mindfulness for preschool children who face stress and trauma related to poverty and racism.

Authors

• Eleanor DeMaris Brown, West Chester University of Pennsylvania

• KJ Mosley, University of Pennsylvania

• Kate Anderson, West Chester University of Pennsylvania

• Steven J. Holochwost, Wolf Brown

• Susan Gans, West Chester University of Pennsylvania

• Zachary Weaver, West Chester University of Pennsylvania

• Afolabi Shokunbi, West Chester University of Pennsylvania

• Madeline Mazurek, West Chester University of Pennsylvania

• Estefania DeMaris Ortiz, West Chester University of Pennsylvania

• Benjamin Wolfe, West Chester University of Pennsylvania