Abstract
AbstractBackground and Objectives: Chronic stress contributes to psychopathology and the practise of yoga is suggested to decrease stress and improve well-being. However, the literature often reports methodological problems (cross-sectional designs, sample sizes ≤ 20, and limited exploration of community populations). The aim of this study was to address these limitations and evaluate the potential psychological benefits of yoga to a non-clinical population. Methods: Women (N = 116) reporting chronic stress participated in this longitudinal study. Participants were allocated to a twice-weekly, hour-long yoga class for a period of two months, or a waitlist-control. Indicators of psychological well-being were measured at baseline, post-test and one-month follow-up. Results: Psychological distress decreased over time in both groups, however the control group experienced decreases in positive effect compared with the yoga group. Curvilinear trends were observed, indicating that trajectories of improvement see...
Highlights
In recent years, an increased prevalence in mental disorders has been reported globally
Recent metaanalysis has demonstrated that in diverse populations, it provides small to moderate reductions in the negative affect dimensions of psychological stress, such as 10–20% reductions in depression and 5–10% decreases in anxiety (Goyal et al, 2014). These findings suggest that meditation-based activities may have a role in addressing psychological distress
Intent-to-treat analysis All participants were included in the construction of intention-to-treat analysis (ITT) models based on the original randomisation, regardless of protocol adherence
Summary
An increased prevalence in mental disorders has been reported globally. Mental disorders are found to commonly occur in the general population and have significant societal costs (Kessler et al, 2009) and, by 2020, it is predicted that mental illnesses, including stress-related disorders, will constitute the leading burden of disease worldwide (Kalia, 2002; Kessler et al, 2009; Mathers, Fat, & Boerma, 2008) These observations follow reports that the level of stress and distress experienced by the general population is increasing, whilst levels of well-being are decreasing (Cassey, 2013). Differential treatment effects may be difficult to detect in studies with populations that may already be motivated to improve their health
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