IMMEDIATE EFFECT OF 10-MINUTE WEB-BASED GUIDED MEDITATIVE VISUALIZATION SESSION ON PERCEIVED STRESS, STROOP TASK PERFORMANCE, AND HEART RATE VARIABILITY IN YOUNG ADULTS: AN SINGLE-ARM PRE POST STUDY

Abstract

Background: Brief web-based meditation interventions have emerged as accessible strategies for stress management; however, their immediate effects on perceived stress, cognitive performance, and cardiac autonomic function remain incompletely understood. This exploratory study evaluated the acute effects of a 10-minute guided web-based meditative visualization session on perceived stress, Stroop task performance, and heart rate variability (HRV) in healthy young adults. Methods: In this single-arm pre-post interventional study, 38 healthy adults aged 18–30 years completed a 10-minute guided web-based meditative visualization session using headphones. Perceived stress was assessed using the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10). Cognitive performance was evaluated using a computerized Colour-Word Stroop task, including congruent, neutral, and incongruent reaction times, accuracy, and error measures. Resting HRV was recorded before and immediately after the intervention using a validated ECG-based system, and time-domain (SDNN, RMSSD, NN50) and frequency-domain (VLF, LF, HF, total power, LF/HF ratio) indices were analyzed. Pre- and post-intervention comparisons were performed using paired t-tests. Results: PSS-10 scores decreased significantly following the intervention (19.55 ± 5.62 vs. 17.92 ± 6.32; p = 0.001). Stroop task performance demonstrated a significant reduction in incongruent reaction time (1021.73 vs. 949.70 ms; p = 0.0175), indicating improved executive function and inhibitory control. Congruent and neutral reaction times showed modest reductions, whereas accuracy and error measures did not differ significantly. No statistically significant changes were observed in HRV indices, although HF power, RMSSD, and NN50 showed non-significant increases suggestive of a trend toward enhanced parasympathetic activity. Conclusions: A single 10-minute web-based meditative visualization session was associated with significant reductions in perceived stress and improvements in executive function in healthy young adults. However, immediate changes in cardiac autonomic modulation, as assessed by HRV, were not observed. These findings suggest that brief web-based meditation may rapidly enhance psychological and cognitive outcomes, while measurable autonomic adaptations may require longer or repeated practice. Further randomized controlled studies are warranted to confirm these findings.