Breathing Pattern Irregularities in Students with Mild Self-Reported Anxiety During Academic Stress: An Observational Study
Pushpendra K. Yaduvanshi *
Department of Physiotherapy, Career Point University, Kota, Rajasthan, India.
Jaruna Dera Tamin
Department of Physiotherapy, Career Point University, Kota, Rajasthan, India.
Ashish Chauhan
Department of Physiotherapy, Career Point University, Kota, Rajasthan, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Background: Breathing is an essential physiological process influenced by the respiratory and autonomic nervous systems. Stress and anxiety may alter normal breathing through rapid, shallow, or irregular respiration. Academic pressure is a common stressor among college students and may contribute to mild anxiety and breathing pattern changes.
Objective: To observe breathing pattern irregularities in students with mild self-reported anxiety during periods of academic stress.
Methods: An observational, single-time-point study screened 30 college students. Participants were screened using an STAI-based self-reported anxiety questionnaire. Twenty-one students who screened positive for mild self-reported anxiety completed the BPI assessment and formed the analytic sample, which comprised participants aged 17–23 years. Descriptive statistics, Shapiro–Wilk testing, a one-sample t-test against the scale midpoint of 40, and age–BPI correlation analysis were used.
Results: Among the 21 students with positive screening results for mild anxiety, the mean BPI score was 52.24 ± 6.04/80 (median 49; IQR 48–58; range 46–67). BPI severity was classified as mild in 12 students (57.1%), moderate in 7 (33.3%), and severe in 2 (9.5%). Scores were non-normally distributed (Shapiro–Wilk W = 0.834, p = 0.002), while the mean BPI score was significantly higher than the theoretical midpoint of 40 (t(20) = 9.284, p < 0.001). Age was not significantly correlated with BPI score (r = 0.033, p = 0.887).
Conclusion: The study demonstrated measurable breathing pattern irregularities among students with mild self-reported anxiety during academic stress. The presence of moderate and severe BPI scores despite mild self-reported anxiety highlights the value of objective breathing assessment and supports preventive physiotherapy approaches such as breathing retraining and stress-management strategies.
Keywords: Breathing pattern irregularities, academic stress, anxiety, autonomic dysregulation, college students, breathing assessment