Abstract

Well-being is viewed as a harmonious satisfaction of one's desires and goals.

At the very beginning of third millennium, people are observing its deep and
surprising developments of technology and its social, cultural, occupational effects. It
may be that technology use does not have direct impacts on well-being, but rather the
impacts are mediated through other psychosocial aspects of individuals, such as their
self-concepts, sense of mastery or self-efficacy over their lives and perceptions of
their abilities in relation to both technologies and college life more generally.

In Āyurvedic literature, the word Prakéti; broadly gives the meaning of nature
or temperament. Caraka takes the Prakéti as a state of homeostasis reflecting the
disease free condition. Then it grew very fast and become a vital instrument in our
life.

Now a day's lots of people want to solve their unfulfilled needs and problems
with the help of internet. Some of them are using the internet to an extended that it
affects their physical and psychological health, occupational and social life too.
Internet is being widely used all around the world. The number of users is increasing
day by day. The internet is a new tool that is used as an essential part of everyday life
all over the world and its use increases especially among young people. In spite of the
widely perceived merits of this tool, psychologists have been aware of the negative
impacts of its use, especially the over or misuse and the related physical and
psychological problems Meditation is all about breathing correctly and about
integrating that breath into your body along with the mind.

Meditation is a way of life, righteous living or an integrated system for the

benefit of the body, mind and inner spirit. While meditation not only benefits in
stretching and toning the body but it tones the whole body while slowing down the
breath and incorporating the mind. So when meditation helps to relax and slow the
pace of the breath, the pace of the mind is similarly calmed and quieted.

Lacuna in Previous Work

Till date many research studies have been done in regards to anatomical and
psychological changes (i.e. mental health and anxiety) in internet users. Still study on
effect of dhyÁna on them is not present especially internet users in Indian population.

Scholar had tried to lengthen previous works in new standpoints, rationalized

the present knowledge related to anatomical and psychological changes in internet
 Abstract

users in the control of dhyÁna, under study entitled, “Psychological well-being and the
Manas Prakéti : A study of internet users with special reference to anatomical
changes.”

The present study evaluates the changes and improvement seen in the
anatomical and psychological levels in internet users while completing a few months
comprehensive yogic procedure (dhyÁna).

Objectives

1. To study the psychological well-being (mental health and anxiety) in internet

users.
2. To study the Manas Prakªti in internet users.
3. To study the relationship among anatomical and psychological changes in
internet users.
4. To study the relationship among psychological well-being (mental health and
anxiety) in internet users.
5. To study the effect of dhyÁna with the anatomical and psychological changes
in internet users.

Hypothesis

There is a significant positive effect of meditation (AUM chanting) on Mental

and Physical health of internet users.

Sample

Convenient sampling technique was used. The total sample of 180 students
ranging in age from 17 to 25 years was selected from Varanasi for this research work.
197 students filled the self-reported questionnaires. However, only 180 questionnaires
were considered for the data analysis because of the incompletion of questionnaires.

Tests and Tools

Personal Data Sheet

The following standardized tests and tools were used for the present
investigation:

1. Young’s Diagnostic Questionnaire (Young, 1996)

2. Mental Health Inventory (Jagdish and Srivastava, 1983)
3. Sinha Anxiety Scale (Sinha, 1961)

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Procedure

After selecting the subjects on the basis of purposive sampling the internet
addiction scale was administered. Information on the study was provided to selected
students via researcher. Students were briefed about the nature and the purpose of the
current study. Prior to the administration of the scale the students were acknowledge
about the utility of the study. The guide line was also provided to the participants for
filling the given option in questionnaire. Students were being requested, to answer
truly and mark the most appropriate option among those given in the scale for each
question. They were requested not to leave any of the items unanswered. Students
were assured about the confidentiality of the data. Responses of the despondence were
collected individually.

All the three groups are advised to do practice of meditation (AUM chanting)
for three months. And the resultant changes were recorded and correlated with the
available concepts.

Statistical Analyses

All analysis was performed using the SPSS software package version 16.0.

Summary and Conclusion

Literary Conclusion

1. Psychological well-being: Psychological well-being means individual’s

construction of concepts to develop himself in order to be able to feel happy.
In this context, individual should be able to delay his pain, he should be able
to do that and struggle even though psychological well-being hurts.
2. Mental Health: Jahoda (1958) has said that aspects of attitude towards self,
growth and development, self-actualization, integration of personality and
mastery of the environment must be considered in judging whether a person is
mentally healthy or not.
• Positive self-evaluation: It includes self-confidence, self-acceptance, self-
identity, feeling of worth-wholeness, realization of one’s potentialities.
• Perception of reality: It is related to perception free from need distortion,
absence of excessive fantasy and a board outlook on the world.
• Integration of personality: It indicates balance of psycho forces in the
individual and includes the ability of understand and to share other people’s
emotions, the ability to concentrate at work and interest in several activities.

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• Autonomy: It includes stable set of internal standards for one’s action,

dependence for own development upon own potentialities rather than
dependence on other people.
• Group Oriented Attitudes: It is associated with the ability to get along with
others, work with others and ability to find recreation.
• Environmental Mastery: It is includes efficiency in meeting situational
requirements, the ability to work and play, the ability to take responsibilities
and capacity for adjustment.
3. Anxiety: The anxiety dimension refers to a set of symptoms and signs that
are associated clinically with high levels of manifest anxiety, such as
nervousness, tension and trembling, as are panic attacks and feelings of terror
and feelings of apprehension and dread, and some of the somatic correlates of
anxiety. (Derogatis, 1983).
4. Manas Prakéti: Psychological component can be considered as Manas
Prakéti (Mental constituent). Manas Prakéti features pertain to the mind and
mental activities of the person. While all individuals have mixed amounts of
the three, the predominant guna determines an individual’s Manas Prakéti. In
equilibrium, the three gunas preserve the mind (and indirectly the body),
maintaining it in a healthy state.
5. Internet addicted and Non Internet addicted: Internet addicted were
defined as those persons having score 5 and above on Internet Addiction Test
and Non-internet addicted were defined as those persons having score of 1 to
4 on Internet Addiction Test (Young, 1998).

Demographic Conclusion

The demographic results suggest that the present study shows that out of total
180 students, the students divided into 3 groups on the basis of use of internet. And in
non-internet users group, normal internet users group and addicted internet users
group (11.11%, 62.78% and 26.11% respectively). In non and normal internet users
group majority of students belong to 23-25 years age group(70.0% & 47.8%
respectively),and in addicted group majority of students belong to 20-22 age groups
(70.20%), male students (40%, 51.3% & 51.1%respectively in each group) and female
students (60%, 48.7% & 48.9%respectively in each group ), from joint family (50%,
50.4% & 12.8% respectively in each group) and single family (50%, 49.6% & 87.2%
respectively in each group).

Moreover maximum numbers of students in group-3 belong to high family

income group (49%). In group-1 and group-2 maximum students were belong to
secondary parent’s education group(70% & 54.9% respectively) where in group-3

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(78.7%) students were belong to higher parent’s education group. In group-1 and
group-2 maximum students were belong to SÁtvika-RÁjsika Prakéti (40% & 46.9%
respectively) where in group-3 (42.6%) students were belongs to SÁtvika-TÁmsika
Prakéti group.

Anatomical / Physical Assessment Conclusion

The number of students with the symptom of disturbed sleep pattern reduces
gradually from 40% to 0% after 2nd follow-up in group-1, while in group-2 and group-
3 the reduction is less significant in comparison to group-1 which is from 23% to
10.6% & 78.7% to 31.9% respectively. These findings may be the attribution of the
interventions i.e. dhyÁna.

This study depicts that better results in normal internet users group because the
sleep pattern of students of normal internet users group was already in average range
in term of sleep duration; normal range of sleep pattern is described in various texts 7
to 8 hrs. That’s why it was more obvious the ratio of increasing of good sleep pattern
was found more in normal internet users group in comparison to other group’s i.e.
non-internet users and addicted internet users group. And it was found that in non-
internet users group after intervention sleep duration was become more adequate.

The anatomical assessment analysis result shows that in each groups before
intervention there was weaknesses, pain numbness and swelling i.e. reduce
functionality of the muscles back, neck and carpal tunnel, in each the groups. The
weaknesses, pain numbness and swelling of all these muscles resolve after the 1st
follow-up in each group and they attain normal functionality which continues after the
2nd follow-up.

Psychological Assessment Conclusion

In this study it was found that during the initial assessment a significant
percentage of addicted internet users experience poor level of mental health. Mental
health is a level of psychological well-being, or an absence of a mental disorder; it is
the "psychological state of someone who is functioning at a satisfactory level of
emotional and behavioral adjustment". The number of students with the symptom of
poor mental health reduces gradually from 20% in to 0% after 2nd follow-up (after
intervention) in group-1, while in group-2 and group-3 the reduction is less significant
in comparison to group-1 which was from 5.3% to 3.5% & 53.2% to 21.3%
respectively. The psychological parameter is improved by the practice of dhyÁna
(AUM chanting).

This study depicts that non-internet users group shows less autonomous, after
follow ups normal and addicted internet users group autonomycity was increased
respectively, which is a positive attitude.
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The number of students with the good grade symptom of anxiety increase
gradually from 60% to 90 % after 2nd follow-up in group-1, while in group-2 the
reduction is less significant in comparison to group-1 which was from 19.5% to 20%
and in group-3 students with the good grade symptom of anxiety increase gradually
from 0% to 21.3 % after 2nd follow-up.

It can be said that anxious people use the internet in order to overcome their
anxiety, to escape from uneasy thoughts that lead to anxiety and finally to attempt to
replace their turbulent thoughts with the attractions and amusements existing in the
internet. In general, it can be said that normal users, i.e. people who use the internet in
moderation have lower anxiety levels and are not afflicted with the destructive effects
of excessive Internet use.

The modern age is no doubt, a scientific age. Science has provided the modern
man all to make his life comfortable, but still there is a cruel paradox of material
plenty without an iota of mental peace. The concept of spirituality is attracting the
attention of researchers all over the world.

Meditation affects the physical and psychological health of an individual.

Present study shows that meditation enhances the well-being of an individual. The
practice of meditation can also be used as one of the powerful means as any other
yogic practices like Ásanas and prÁnÁyÁma to get the mental peace and enhancing
physical and mental health.

Similarly these types of spiritual practices can be used as therapies in clinical

field also. Spiritual exercises enhance the hidden qualities of men. The intervention
like dhyÁna should be advised to all students for their psychological and anatomico-
physiological well-being as this study suggests that dhyÁna is effectively capable of
modulating homeostasis and contributes to psychological and anatomico-
physiological well-being of an individual.

No significant side effect or adverse effects were found during the study.
Moreover these interventions open newer vistas for the maintenance of psychological
and anatomical-physiological well-being of internet users. These interventions have
potential to emerge as a newer therapy which is non-invasive, drugless, safe, and cost-
effective to the internet users, which will benefits the society and may be helpful to
prevent as well as minimize addiction rate in internet users.

To establish these interventions (dhyÁna) as a therapy for betterment of

internet users health and there is need of more extensive studies may be extended on
these drugless interventions separately to get a clear outlook towards the better
results.

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