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Yoga/Pranayama for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Pranayama Assisted Psychotherapy in Patients With Post-traumatic Stress Disorder: a Randomized-controlled Trial

Status
Completed
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT03748121
Acronym
YOGAPTSD
Enrollment
74
Registered
2018-11-20
Start date
2018-02-20
Completion date
2020-07-31
Last updated
2022-12-06

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Keywords

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Complementary Therapies, Yoga, Pranayama, Effectiveness, Safety, Randomized Controlled Trial

Brief summary

This study aims to investigate the effect of a pranayama focused yoga intervention on post-traumatic symptom severity in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder undergoing standard psychotherapy/ trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy (TF-CBT). Therefore, short pranayama sessions of 5-10 minutes will be provided to the patients directly at the begin of each of standard TF-CBT unit, while the control group will get standard TF-CBT alone. It should further be investigated, whether pranayama can enhance the affective tolerance of patients with post-traumatic stress disorder towards the used exposure techniques of TF-CBT.

Interventions

BEHAVIORALPranayama assisted trauma-focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)

The pranayama intervention is placed directly at the begin of the respective TF-CBT unit and will be repeated for 10 subsequent TF-CBT units. Pranayama contains the performance of Kapalabhati, Ujjayi, and/or Nadi Shodhana (for overall 1 minute) as well as following Kumbhaka (intentional respiratory reflex inhibition). Pranayama will be repeated 3 times before each TF-CBT unit.

Trauma-focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)

Sponsors

Universität Duisburg-Essen
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
DOUBLE (Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)

Masking description

Participants and Therapists (Care Provider) could not be blinded according to the nature of the intervention. However, therapists will be blinded to allocation concealment as they do not be aware of the patients' group assignment at baseline assessment until they open the opaque randomization envelope, which contains the patient randomization number and group assignment. The random sequence generation and the envelopes were prepared by the study coordinator who is not involved patient recruitment. Patients received post intervention questionnaires from a study assistant/nurse of the respective outpatient department who is also blinded to the patients' group assignment. After completing the questionnaires, the study assistant will sent them to study coordinator so that the therapist could not influence the patients' answers.

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 70 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Diagnosed PTSD according to ICD-10 * PCL-5 Score of at least 33 points * Undergoing outpatient CBT * Physical and mental ability to perform Pranayama

Exclusion criteria

* Severe comorbid mental or somatic disease that did not allow the patient to perform Pranayama * Pregnancy * Regular practice of Yoga or Pilates in the last 12 months

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Intensity of posttraumtic symptomsweek 10Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5): The PCL-5 is a standard 20-item scale with a sum score ranging from 0 to 80 points. The cut-off point for clinically relevant symptom severity is 33 points.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Ability of social participationweek 10Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System - Ability to Participate in Social Roles and Activities Scale (PROMIS): The PROMIS-Social Participation Subscale is a standard 8-item scale ranging from 0 to 100 points with 100 points represent the highest possible ability to participate/function.
Anxietyweek 10Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI): The BAI is a standard 21-items scale ranging from 0 to 63 points with 0-7 points = minimal anxiety, 8-15 points = mild anxiety, 16-25 points = moderate anxiety, and 26-63 points = clinically relevant anxiety.
Depressionweek 10Beck Depression Inventory Revision (BDI-II): The BDI-II is a standard 21-items scale ranging from 0 to 63 points with 0-13 points =no/clinically not relevant depression/depression in remission, 14-19 points = mild depression, 20-28 points = moderate depression und 29-63 points = severe depression.
Distress Toleranceweek 10Distress Tolerance Scale (DTS): The DTS is a standard 15-item scale ranging from 0 to 75 points. Higher scores represent higher distress tolerance.
Emotion Regulationweek 10Emotion Regulation Scale (ERQ): The ERQ is a standard 10-item scale with 6 items are added to the Cognitive Reappraisal subscale ranging from 6 to 42 and 4 items are added to the Expressive Suppression subscale ranging from 4 to 28. Higher scores on the Cognitive Reappraisal subscale and lower ones on the Expressive Suppression subscale represent a better regulation of emotions.
Body Awarenessweek 10Scale of Body Connection (SBC): The SBC is a standard 20-items scale ranging from 0 to 80 that contains two subscales: Body Awareness and Body Dissociation. Higher scores on Body Awareness and lower scores on Body Dissociation represent a better body awareness.
Breath Holding Durationweek 10Breath Holding Task (BHT): The BHT is standard test procedure for the measurement of ability of the suppression of the respiratory reflex. In PTSD patients, it is associated with distress tolerance.
Acute Emotional Stressweek 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10Emotional Stress Reaction Questionnaire (ESRQ): The ESRQ is standard 14-items scale ranging from -21 points (predominance of negative emotions) to +21 points (predominance of positive emotions). Patients received the ESRQ before and after each CBT unit.
Adverse Eventsweek 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10Number of patients with adverse events (and type of the adverse event)
Health-related quality of lifeweek 10Short Form 12 Health Survey (SF-12): The SF-12 is a standard 12-item scale with two sum scores (physical and mental quality of life) ranging from 0 to 100 points.

Other

MeasureTime frameDescription
Treatment Expectationweek 0Treatment Credibility Scale (TCS): The TCS is a standard NRS scale ranging from 0 points (lowest expectation of treatment effectiveness) to 10 points (highest expectation of treatment effectiveness).

Countries

Germany

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 9, 2026