Anxiety, Depression, Physiological Stress, Psychological Distress
Conditions
Brief summary
This study looks at an 8-week hatha yoga intervention for women reporting high levels of stress, a risk factor for various forms of psychopathology.
Detailed description
Yoga practice appears to reduce stress and associated emotions. Specifically, yoga has been associated with significant decreases in depression, anxiety, and perceived stress. These findings underscore the promise of yoga practice for improving mental health in women prone to stress. This study aims to examine the feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy of an eight-week Hatha Yoga intervention for improving stress and mental health. To this end, the investigators will recruit 40 women high in stress to receive an 8-week hatha yoga intervention consisting of two weekly 90-minute sessions. At baseline and at post-intervention, participants will undergo several cognitive, emotional, and behavioral assessments, followed by a relaxation time. Primary feasibility outcomes will be the time required to recruit 40 participants, the number of screen failures, participant retention and participant adherence to the study protocol. Acceptability will be evaluated with questionnaires and an interview during the final visit. Primary efficacy outcomes will be group differences in pre- to post-intervention change in perceived stress and various mental health parameters.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALHatha Yoga
The yoga intervention will last eight weeks and include two 90-minute sessions each week. Each yoga session will consist of the same series of 26 Hatha yoga postures, two breathing exercise, and two savasanas (i.e., a resting/relaxation posture), in a room heated to 104 degrees Fahrenheit, which aids in safe muscle stretching. Each participant will be given a yoga studio scan card valid for two months, and, like all yoga studio members, they will be required to scan their card prior to their yoga class.
Sponsors
Southern Methodist University
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
FEMALE
Age
25 Years to 45 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Female patients between the ages of 25 and 45. We only will only include women in this age range due to age-related variations in estrogen levels that effect HPA reactivity in women (Seeman, Singer, Wilkinson & McEwen, 2001). * Sedentary as defined by moderate-intensity exercise less than 60 minutes per week (this definition is consistent with that employed in previous studies of exercise interventions; e.g., Dunn et al., 2005; Trivedi et al., 2006). This criterion was selected in order to be able to test the effects of the yoga intervention. * Written physician approval/medical clearance to participate in an exercise/yoga protocol. * Capable and willing to give written informed consent, to understand inclusion and
Exclusion criteria
.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Perceived Stress Questionnaire | Weeks 0 (baseline) to 9 (post-intervention) | The PSQ (Levenstein et al., 1993) is a self- report measure of cognitive and emotional reactions to perceived stressful situations. The questionnaire consists of four subscales assessing (1) worries, anxious concern for the future, feelings of desperation and frustration; (2) tension, exhaustion, and lack of relaxation; (3) positive feelings of challenge, joy, energy, and security; and (4) perceived environmental demands, such as lack of time, pressure, and overload. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Feasibility | Weeks 0 (baseline) to 9 (post-intervention) | Feasibility and acceptability of a yoga intervention for stress-induced eating. This interview, constructed by the PI, assesses participants' perceptions of ease of participation, program likeability, and perceived benefits of the yoga program. The interview consists of 16 open-ended questions. |
| Distress Tolerance | Weeks 0 (baseline) to 9 (post-intervention) | The DTS (Simons & Gaher, 2005) is a 15-item self- report measure of physical and psychological distress tolerance. |
Other
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Depression Symptoms | Weeks 0 (baseline) to 9 (post-intervention) | The BDI (Beck, Ward, Mendelson, Mock, & Erbaugh, 1961) is a widely used 21-item, self-report inventory that measures severity of depressive symptoms. |
| Anxiety Symptoms (BAI) | Weeks 0 (baseline) to 9 (post-intervention) | The BAI (Beck, Epstein, Brown, & Steer, 1988) is a commonly used 21-item, self-report inventory designed to measure severity of anxiety symptoms. |
| Mindfulness | Weeks 0 (baseline) to 9 (post-intervention) | Since yoga is a mindfulness based intervention, we will be looking at changes in mindfulness levels over the course of the intervention. ). The FFMQ (Baer et al., 2006) is a 39-item self-report measure of mindfulness components: observing, describing, acting with awareness, nonjudging of inner experience, and nonreactivity to inner experience. |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed