UCLA Study Finds SKY Breathing Program Increases Social Connection Among At-Risk Teen Girls

The girls participated in a four-week curriculum focused on social-emotional learning, followed by eight weeks of daily breathing practice integrated into their physical education classes. The study revealed that girls who reported four or more adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) experienced a 7% increase in social connectedness, significantly higher than their peers with fewer adverse experiences and those in the control school.

The findings, published in the Journal of Research on Adolescence, come at a time when many youths express feelings of loneliness and are increasingly turning to technology for support. Girls with substantial childhood adversity face heightened risks of anxiety, depression, substance misuse, and academic challenges.

The study highlights a persistent issue within school-based mental health programs, where the most distressed students often gain the least. However, in this case, those with significant trauma showed the most improvement in social connectedness, according to Dara Ghahremani, a research professor at UCLA’s Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior and the study's senior author. Ghahremani noted that simple, scalable approaches combining social-emotional training and breathing techniques can foster better connection and belonging among students.

SKY Breathing, developed by the nonprofit International Association for Human Values, uses specific breathing rhythms to help regulate stress responses. The program emphasizes skills such as self-regulation, leadership, and conflict management and incorporates physical activities, stretching, and games.

Co-lead authors of the study include Nathan Chabin and Justine Chen, both of whom conducted the research at UCLA as postgraduate assistants. Additional co-authors contributed from various branches of UCLA and the University of Victoria.