1 179 108 A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF THE INFLUENCE OF YOGA FOR WOMEN WITH SYMPTOMS OF POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER. BACKGROUND: SURVIVORS IN MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENT (MVA) MAY HAVE POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD). YOGA IS A COMPLEMENTARY APPROACH FOR PTSD THERAPY. METHODS: THIS RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL EXPLORED WHETHER YOGA INTERVENTION HAS EFFECTS ON REDUCING THE SYMPTOMS OF PTSD IN WOMEN SURVIVED IN MVA. PARTICIPANTS (N = 94) WERE RECRUITED AND RANDOMIZED INTO CONTROL GROUP OR YOGA GROUP. PARTICIPANTS ATTENDED 6 45-MINUITE YOGA SESSIONS IN 12 WEEKS. DEPRESSION ANXIETY STRESS SCALES (DASS) AND IMPACT OF EVENTS SCALE-REVISED (IES-R) WERE USED TO ASSESS PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS. RESULTS: POST-INTERVENTION IES-R TOTAL SCORE OF YOGA GROUP WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER THAN THAT OF CONTROL GROUP (P = 0.01). AT BOTH POST-INTERVENTION AND 3-MONTHS POST INTERVENTION, THE DASS-21 TOTAL SCORES OF YOGA GROUP WERE BOTH SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER THAN THOSE OF CONTROL GROUP (P = 0.043, P = 0.024). YOGA GROUP SHOWED LOWER ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION LEVEL COMPARED TO CONTROL GROUP AT BOTH POST-INTERVENTION (P = 0.033, P < 0.001) AND POST-FOLLOW-UP (P = 0.004, P = 0.035). YOGA GROUP HAD LOWER LEVELS OF INTRUSION AND AVOIDANCE COMPARED TO CONTROL GROUP AFTER INTERVENTION (P = 0.002, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: RESULTS ILLUSTRATE THAT YOGA INTERVENTION MAY ALLEVIATE ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION AND IMPROVE THE SYMPTOMS OF PTSD IN WOMEN WITH PTSD FOLLOWING MVA. 2022 2 354 37 ASSESSMENT OF YOGA AS AN ADJUVANT TREATMENT FOR COMBAT-RELATED POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER. OBJECTIVES: THIS STUDY ASSESSED YOGA AS AN ADJUVANT STRATEGY FOR SYMPTOMS OF COMBAT-RELATED POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD). METHODS: SUBJECTS HAD SIGNIFICANT, COMBAT-RELATED PTSD. CONTROL DATA WERE COLLECTED DURING AN EIGHT-WEEK WAITING PERIOD. TRAUMA-SENSITIVE YOGA SESSIONS OF 90 MINUTES DURATION WERE PROVIDED EVERY SEVEN DAYS FOR EIGHT WEEKS. ASSESSMENTS INCLUDED THE PTSD CHECKLIST (PCL); THE DEPRESSION, ANXIETY AND STRESS SCALE (DASS); THE PITTSBURGH SLEEP QUALITY INDEX (PSQI); THE ADULT/ADOLESCENT SENSORY PROFILE (AASP); THE SF36 QUALITY OF LIFE INSTRUMENT; AND A BRIEF, STRUCTURED PRE-ENROLMENT ASSESSMENT OF ATTITUDES TOWARDS YOGA. BIOMARKERS WERE ALSO ASSESSED. RESULTS: THIRTY PARTICIPANTS WERE RECRUITED, WITH 28 COMPLETING THE PROTOCOL ( MAGE=63.5 YEARS). FOR MOST VARIABLES, THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN RESULTS AFTER THE WAITING PERIOD. COMPARING MEASUREMENTS OBTAINED IMMEDIATELY PRIOR TO THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE INTERVENTION TO THOSE TAKEN AFTER COMPLETION OF EIGHT YOGA SESSIONS, SIGNIFICANT CHANGES INCLUDED AN INCREASE IN THE SERUM DEHYDROEPIANDROSTERONE CONCENTRATION, DECREASED TOTAL PCL SCORE (AND ALL PCL SUB-SCALES), DECREASES IN ALL DASS SUB-SCALE SCORES AND SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN PSQI AND SF36 SCORES. NO ADVERSE EVENTS WERE REPORTED. CONCLUSIONS: A RANGE OF BENEFITS WERE OBSERVED AFTER YOGA, CONSISTENT WITH THE THEORETICAL CONSTRUCT FOR THE LONG HISTORY OF YOGA AS A STRATEGY TO REDUCE STRESS AND PROMOTE WELL-BEING. 2017 3 133 47 A PRAGMATIC PREFERENCE TRIAL OF THERAPEUTIC YOGA AS AN ADJUNCT TO GROUP COGNITIVE BEHAVIOUR THERAPY VERSUS GROUP CBT ALONE FOR DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY. BACKGROUND: YOGA HAS SEVERAL MECHANISMS THAT MAKE IT A PROMISING TREATMENT FOR DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY, INCLUDING PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, BEHAVIOURAL ACTIVATION, AND MINDFULNESS. FOLLOWING POSITIVE OUTCOMES FROM ADAPTED CBT INTERVENTIONS INCORPORATING MINDFULNESS-BASED PRACTICES, THIS STUDY EXPLORED THE EFFECTS OF A THERAPEUTIC YOGA PROGRAM AS AN ADJUNCT TO GROUP-BASED CBT FOR DEPRESSION OR ANXIETY. METHODS: THIS WAS A PRAGMATIC PREFERENCE TRIAL INVOLVING ADULTS DIAGNOSED WITH DEPRESSION OR ANXIETY IN A REGIONAL PRIMARY MENTAL HEALTHCARE SERVICE (N = 59), COMPARING TRANSDIAGNOSTIC GROUP CBT (N = 27) WITH TRANSDIAGNOSTIC GROUP CBT COMBINED WITH AN ADJUNCT THERAPEUTIC YOGA PROGRAM (N = 32). A PREFERENCE RECRUITMENT DESIGN ALLOWED ELIGIBLE PARTICIPANTS (N = 35) TO SELF-SELECT INTO THE ADJUNCT PROGRAM. THE DEPRESSION ANXIETY STRESS SCALE-21 (DASS) WAS ASSESSED AT BASELINE, POST-INTERVENTION, AND THREE-MONTHS FOLLOW UP. RESULTS: CBT + YOGA WAS AN ACCEPTABLE ALTERNATIVE TO CBT ALONE. SIGNIFICANT REDUCTIONS WERE OBSERVED IN TOTAL DASS SCORES AND THE 3 SUBSCALES OF THE DASS FOR BOTH GROUPS, HOWEVER CBT + YOGA SHOWED SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER DEPRESSIVE AND ANXIETY SYMPTOMS POST-INTERVENTION, COMPARED TO CBT ALONE. CBT + YOGA ALSO SHOWED SUSTAINED REDUCTIONS IN DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS OVER THREE-MONTHS, AND MORE RAPID REDUCTIONS IN DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS, COMPARED TO CBT ALONE. LIMITATIONS: THESE FINDINGS SHOULD BE CONSIDERED PRELIMINARY DUE TO THE MODERATE SAMPLE SIZE, WITH A RIGOROUS RANDOMISED CONTROL TRIAL NECESSARY TO DEFINITIVELY SUPPORT THE INTEGRATION OF YOGA WITHIN MENTAL HEALTH CARE TO AUGMENT THE BENEFITS AND UPTAKE OF TRANSDIAGNOSTIC CBT FOR DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY. CONCLUSIONS: COMPLEMENTING OTHER MINDFULNESS-BASED PRACTICES, THERAPEUTIC YOGA SHOWS PROMISE AS AN ADJUNCT TO TRANSDIAGNOSTIC CBT. 2022 4 2474 47 YOGA AS AN ADJUNCT ACTIVITY FOR MEDICAL STUDENTS LEARNING ANATOMY. BACKGROUND: MEDICAL STUDENTS EXPERIENCE HIGH LEVELS OF STRESS DURING TRAINING DUE TO DEMANDING COURSE LOADS WHICH OFTEN LEAVES LESS TIME FOR SELF-CARE. THIS STUDY COMBINES THE SELF-CARE TECHNIQUE OF YOGA WITH LEARNING ANATOMICAL LOCATIONS, INNERVATIONS, ACTIONS, AND FUNCTIONS OF THE MUSCLES AND ORGANS TO DETERMINE IF ANATOMY TESTS SCORES ARE IMPROVED AND WHETHER STUDENTS' STRESS LEVELS ATTENUATE FROM PARTICIPATING IN YOGA. METHODS: IN THIS RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY, 64 STUDENT VOLUNTEERS WERE RANDOMIZED INTO EITHER A YOGA INTERVENTION GROUP OR WAIT LIST CONTROL GROUP THROUGHOUT THE M1 ANATOMY COURSE. THE YOGA GROUP (N = 32) PARTICIPATED IN 8 YOGA SESSIONS SYNCED WITH THE ANATOMY TOPICS THEY WERE LEARNING IN LECTURE. THE WAIT LIST GROUP (N = 32) WENT THROUGH THEIR NORMAL ANATOMY CURRICULUM BUT HAD AN OPTION TO PARTICIPATE IN THE SAME YOGA SESSIONS AFTER THE ANATOMY COURSE. THE PRIMARY RESEARCH PURPOSE WAS TO DETERMINE WHETHER YOGA IMPROVED ANATOMY EXAM PERFORMANCE BY COMPARING FOUR ANATOMY EXAM SCORES BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS. THE SECONDARY RESEARCH PURPOSES INCLUDED THE FOLLOWING: TO DETERMINE WHETHER YOGA CLASSES INCLUDING ANATOMY TEACHING STILL CONFERRED ACUTE AND LONG-LASTING STRESS RELIEF BY, RESPECTIVELY, COMPARING A STUDENTS' OWN PRE- AND POST-YOGA STRESS LEVEL AND SELF-PERCEIVED STRESS LEVELS BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS; AND TO DETERMINE IF A STUDENT'S CONFIDENCE IN ANATOMY WAS IMPROVED AFTER A YOGA SESSION. RESULTS: THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN ANATOMY EXAM PERFORMANCE BETWEEN STUDENTS WHO RECEIVED YOGA AND THOSE ON THE WAITLIST (ALL P > 0.05). FOR STUDENTS WHO RECEIVED YOGA, THEIR AVERAGE SELF-REPORTED STRESS LEVELS DECREASED AFTER EACH YOGA SESSION, THEIR AVERAGE DASS (DEPRESSION, ANXIETY AND STRESS SCALE) SCORE DECREASED AFTER A YOGA SESSION, BUT THEY WERE NOT SIGNIFICANTLY LESS STRESSED THAN THEIR WAITLIST PEERS PRIOR TO AN EXAM, AND THEIR SELF-REPORTED CONFIDENCE IN ANATOMY MATERIAL RELATED TO THE BACK, UPPER EXTREMITY, HEAD AND NECK, AND ABDOMEN/PELVIS INCREASED. CONCLUSION: WITH THIS SAMPLE, THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE THAT YOGA SESSIONS PAIRED WITH ANATOMY LECTURE MATERIAL IMPROVED OVERALL ANATOMY EXAM PERFORMANCE, AS OPPOSED TO ONLY THE MUSCULOSKELETAL PORTION WHICH OTHER STUDIES HAVE LOOKED AT. HOWEVER, YOGA ACUTELY REDUCED STRESS LEVELS, AND SUBJECTIVE FEELINGS OF KNOWLEDGE IMPROVEMENT WERE NOTED BY PARTICIPANTS. BOTH OF THESE CAN PROVIDE BENEFITS TO MEDICAL STUDENTS. 2022 5 813 38 EFFECT OF YOGA ON CARDIOVASCULAR FUNCTIONS AND PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF PEOPLE ON PUBLIC SERVICE-RELATED WORK: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY. OBJECTIVES: YOGA IS INCREASINGLY BEING INTRODUCED IN WORKPLACE SETTINGS TO IMPROVE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING. HOWEVER, THERE IS A LACK OF STUDIES REPORTING THE EFFECT OF YOGA IN PEOPLE ON PUBLIC SERVICE-RELATED WORK, WHO ARE AT HIGH RISK FOR VARIOUS HEALTH-RELATED PROBLEMS. THUS, THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO FIND THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON CARDIOVASCULAR FUNCTIONS AND PSYCHOLOGICAL (STRESS, ANXIETY, AND DEPRESSION) ASPECTS OF PEOPLE ON PUBLIC SERVICE-RELATED WORK. METHODS: A SINGLE-GROUP PRE-TEST AND POST-TEST EXPERIMENTAL STUDY DESIGN WAS ADOPTED. EIGHTY-TWO PARTICIPANTS AGED 41.52 +/- 7.44 YEARS WHO ARE WORKING IN THE TAMIL NADU PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION WERE UNDERGONE 1-H OF YOGA (UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF A YOGA & NATUROPATHY DOCTOR) A DAY, 5-DAYS A WEEK FOR A PERIOD OF 1-MONTH AT THEIR OFFICE. CARDIOVASCULAR FUNCTIONS SUCH AS SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE (SBP), DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE (DBP), AND PULSE RATE (PR) WERE MEASURED USING AN AUTOMATIC BP MONITOR. PSYCHOLOGICAL VARIABLES SUCH AS STRESS, ANXIETY, AND DEPRESSION WERE MEASURED USING DEPRESSION ANXIETY AND STRESS SCALES (DASS) BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION. RESULTS: RESULTS OF THIS STUDY SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN BODY MASS INDEX, SBP, DBP, PR, MEAN ARTERIAL PRESSURE, RATE PRESSURE PRODUCT, AND DOUBLE PRODUCT. THOUGH RESULTS SHOWED INSIGNIFICANT (JUST MISSED THE STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE [P=0.056]) REDUCTION IN ANXIETY, IT SHOWED CLINICAL IMPROVEMENT (I.E. THE MEAN ANXIETY SCORE HAS REDUCED FROM MODERATE CATEGORY TO MILD CATEGORY). HOWEVER, THERE IS NEITHER STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT NOR CLINICAL DIFFERENCE IN STRESS AND DEPRESSION. NONE OF THE PARTICIPANTS REPORTED ANY UNTOWARD EVENTS DURING THE STUDY PERIOD. CONCLUSIONS: RESULTS SUGGEST THAT YOGA MIGHT IMPROVE THE CARDIOVASCULAR FUNCTIONS AND ANXIETY OF PEOPLE IN PUBLIC SERVICE-RELATED WORK. HOWEVER, NO SUCH SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT WAS NOTED IN THEIR STRESS AND DEPRESSION LEVELS. HOWEVER, A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL IS REQUIRED TO WARRANT THE RESULTS OF THIS STUDY. 2021 6 524 39 COMPARISON OF COGNITIVE-BEHAVIORAL THERAPY AND YOGA FOR THE TREATMENT OF LATE-LIFE WORRY: A RANDOMIZED PREFERENCE TRIAL. BACKGROUND: THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO COMPARE THE EFFECTS OF COGNITIVE-BEHAVIORAL THERAPY (CBT) AND YOGA ON LATE-LIFE WORRY, ANXIETY, AND SLEEP; AND EXAMINE PREFERENCE AND SELECTION EFFECTS ON THESE OUTCOMES. METHODS: A RANDOMIZED PREFERENCE TRIAL OF CBT AND YOGA WAS CONDUCTED IN COMMUNITY-DWELLING ADULTS 60 YEARS OR OLDER, WHO SCORED 26 OR ABOVE ON THE PENN STATE WORRY QUESTIONNAIRE-ABBREVIATED (PSWQ-A). CBT CONSISTED OF 10 WEEKLY TELEPHONE SESSIONS. YOGA CONSISTED OF 20 BIWEEKLY GROUP YOGA CLASSES. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME WAS WORRY (PSWQ-A); THE SECONDARY OUTCOMES WERE ANXIETY (PROMIS-ANXIETY) AND SLEEP (INSOMNIA SEVERITY INDEX [ISI]). WE EXAMINED BOTH PREFERENCE EFFECTS (AVERAGE EFFECT FOR THOSE WHO RECEIVED THEIR PREFERRED INTERVENTION [REGARDLESS OF WHETHER IT WAS CBT OR YOGA] MINUS THE AVERAGE FOR THOSE WHO DID NOT RECEIVE THEIR PREFERRED INTERVENTION [REGARDLESS OF THE INTERVENTION]) AND SELECTION EFFECT (WHICH ADDRESSES THE QUESTION OF WHETHER THERE IS A BENEFIT TO GETTING TO SELECT ONE INTERVENTION OVER THE OTHER, AND MEASURES THE EFFECT ON OUTCOMES OF SELF-SELECTION TO A SPECIFIC INTERVENTION). RESULTS: FIVE HUNDRED OLDER ADULTS WERE RANDOMIZED TO THE RANDOMIZED TRIAL (125 EACH IN CBT AND YOGA) OR THE PREFERENCE TRIAL (120 CHOSE CBT; 130 CHOSE YOGA). IN THE RANDOMIZED TRIAL, THE INTERVENTION EFFECT OF YOGA COMPARED WITH CBT ADJUSTED FOR BASELINE PSYCHOTROPIC MEDICATION USE, GENDER, AND RACE WAS 1.6 (-0.2, 3.3), P = .08 FOR THE PSWQ-A. SIMILAR RESULTS WERE OBSERVED WITH PROMIS-ANXIETY (ADJUSTED INTERVENTION EFFECT: 0.3 [-1.5, 2.2], P = .71). PARTICIPANTS RANDOMIZED TO CBT EXPERIENCED A GREATER REDUCTION IN THE ISI COMPARED WITH YOGA (ADJUSTED INTERVENTION EFFECT: 2.4 [1.2, 3.7], P < .01]). ESTIMATED IN THE COMBINED DATA SET (N = 500), THE PREFERENCE AND SELECTION EFFECTS WERE NOT SIGNIFICANT FOR THE PSWQ-A, PROMIS-ANXIETY, AND ISI. OF THE 52 ADVERSE EVENTS, ONLY TWO WERE POSSIBLY RELATED TO THE INTERVENTION. NONE OF THE 26 SERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS WERE RELATED TO THE STUDY INTERVENTIONS. CONCLUSIONS: CBT AND YOGA WERE BOTH EFFECTIVE AT REDUCING LATE-LIFE WORRY AND ANXIETY. HOWEVER, A GREATER IMPACT WAS SEEN FOR CBT COMPARED WITH YOGA FOR IMPROVING SLEEP. NEITHER PREFERENCE NOR SELECTION EFFECTS WAS FOUND. 2020 7 2442 43 YOGA AND SELF-REPORTED COGNITIVE PROBLEMS IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVES: CANCER SURVIVORS OFTEN REPORT COGNITIVE PROBLEMS. FURTHERMORE, DECREASES IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY TYPICALLY OCCUR OVER THE COURSE OF CANCER TREATMENT. ALTHOUGH PHYSICAL ACTIVITY BENEFITS COGNITIVE FUNCTION IN NONCANCER POPULATIONS, EVIDENCE LINKING PHYSICAL ACTIVITY TO COGNITIVE FUNCTION IN CANCER SURVIVORS IS LIMITED. IN OUR RECENT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL, BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS WHO RECEIVED A YOGA INTERVENTION HAD LOWER FATIGUE AND INFLAMMATION FOLLOWING THE TRIAL COMPARED WITH A WAIT LIST CONTROL GROUP. THIS SECONDARY ANALYSIS OF THE PARENT TRIAL ADDRESSED YOGA'S IMPACT ON COGNITIVE COMPLAINTS. METHODS: POSTTREATMENT STAGE 0-IIIA BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS (N = 200) WERE RANDOMIZED TO A 12-WEEK, TWICE-WEEKLY HATHA YOGA INTERVENTION OR A WAIT LIST CONTROL GROUP. PARTICIPANTS REPORTED COGNITIVE COMPLAINTS USING THE BREAST CANCER PREVENTION TRIAL COGNITIVE PROBLEMS SCALE AT BASELINE, IMMEDIATELY POSTINTERVENTION, AND 3-MONTH FOLLOW-UP. RESULTS: COGNITIVE COMPLAINTS DID NOT DIFFER SIGNIFICANTLY BETWEEN GROUPS IMMEDIATELY POSTINTERVENTION (P = 0.250). HOWEVER, AT 3-MONTH FOLLOW-UP, YOGA PARTICIPANTS' BREAST CANCER PREVENTION TRIAL COGNITIVE PROBLEMS SCALE SCORES WERE AN AVERAGE OF 23% LOWER THAN WAIT LIST PARTICIPANTS' SCORES (P = 0.003). THESE GROUP DIFFERENCES IN COGNITIVE COMPLAINTS REMAINED AFTER CONTROLLING FOR PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS, FATIGUE, AND SLEEP QUALITY. CONSISTENT WITH THE PRIMARY RESULTS, THOSE WHO PRACTICED YOGA MORE FREQUENTLY REPORTED SIGNIFICANTLY FEWER COGNITIVE PROBLEMS AT 3-MONTH FOLLOW-UP THAN THOSE WHO PRACTICED LESS FREQUENTLY (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: THESE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT YOGA CAN EFFECTIVELY REDUCE BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS' COGNITIVE COMPLAINTS AND PROMPT FURTHER RESEARCH ON MIND-BODY AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY INTERVENTIONS FOR IMPROVING CANCER-RELATED COGNITIVE PROBLEMS. 2015 8 1681 29 ONLINE ISHA UPA YOGA FOR STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING DURING COVID-19: A RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL. COLLEGE STUDENTS EXPERIENCED INCREASED STRESS AND ANXIETY DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. THIS STUDY EVALUATED THE EFFECT OF BRIEF ONLINE ISHA UPA YOGA MODULES ON UNDERGRADUATES' MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING. RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL (RCT) WITH WAITLIST CONTROL CROSSOVER (N = 679). THE INTERVENTION GROUP WAS INSTRUCTED TO LEARN AND PRACTICE THE MODULES DAILY FOR 12 WEEKS. AT THE END OF THE 4-WEEK RCT, THE CONTROL GROUP WAS INSTRUCTED TO LEARN AND PRACTICE THE MODULES FOR THE REMAINING 8 WEEKS. PRIMARY OUTCOMES INCLUDED STRESS AND WELL-BEING. SECONDARY OUTCOMES INCLUDED ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, RESILIENCE, POSITIVE AFFECT AND NEGATIVE AFFECT. LINEAR MIXED-EFFECTS MODELS WERE USED FOR ANALYSES. ISHA UPA YOGA SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED STRESS (GROUP [INTERVENTION, CONTROL] X TIME [BASELINE, WEEK 4] INTERACTION, P = .009, D = .27) AND INCREASED WELL-BEING (GROUP X TIME INTERACTION P = .002, D = .32). BY THE STUDY'S END, THE INTERVENTION AND CONTROL GROUPS EXPERIENCED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN WELL-BEING (P < .001, P < .001), STRESS (P < .001, P < .001), ANXIETY (P < .001, P < .001), DEPRESSION (P < .001, P = .004), POSITIVE AFFECT (P = .04, P < .001), AND NEGATIVE AFFECT (P < .001, P < .001). ONLINE ISHA UPA YOGA SHOWS PROMISE FOR MITIGATING THE PANDEMIC'S NEGATIVE IMPACT ON UNDERGRADUATES' MENTAL HEALTH AND IMPROVING THEIR WELL-BEING. 2022 9 1194 35 EXAMINING MEDIATORS AND MODERATORS OF YOGA FOR WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER UNDERGOING RADIOTHERAPY. HYPOTHESIS THIS STUDY EXAMINES MODERATORS AND MEDIATORS OF A YOGA INTERVENTION TARGETING QUALITY-OF-LIFE (QOL) OUTCOMES IN WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER RECEIVING RADIOTHERAPY.METHODS WOMEN UNDERGOING 6 WEEKS OF RADIOTHERAPY WERE RANDOMIZED TO A YOGA (YG; N = 53) OR STRETCHING (ST; N = 56) INTERVENTION OR A WAITLIST CONTROL GROUP (WL; N = 54). DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS AND SLEEP DISTURBANCES WERE MEASURED AT BASELINE. MEDIATOR (POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS SYMPTOMS, BENEFIT FINDING, AND CORTISOL SLOPE) AND OUTCOME (36-ITEM SHORT FORM [SF]-36 MENTAL AND PHYSICAL COMPONENT SCALES [MCS AND PCS]) VARIABLES WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE, END-OF-TREATMENT, AND 1-, 3-, AND 6-MONTHS POSTTREATMENT. RESULTS BASELINE DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS (P = .03) AND SLEEP DISTURBANCES (P < .01) MODERATED THE GROUP X TIME EFFECT ON MCS, BUT NOT PCS. WOMEN WITH HIGH BASELINE DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS IN YG REPORTED MARGINALLY HIGHER 3-MONTH MCS THAN THEIR COUNTERPARTS IN WL (P = .11). WOMEN WITH HIGH BASELINE SLEEP DISTURBANCES IN YG REPORTED HIGHER 3-MONTHS MCS THAN THEIR COUNTERPARTS IN WL (P < .01) AND HIGHER 6-MONTH MCS THAN THEIR COUNTERPARTS IN ST (P = .01). YG LED TO GREATER BENEFIT FINDING THAN ST AND WL ACROSS THE FOLLOW-UP (P = .01). THREE-MONTH BENEFIT FINDING PARTIALLY MEDIATED THE EFFECT OF YG ON 6-MONTH PCS. POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS SYMPTOMS AND CORTISOL SLOPE DID NOT MEDIATE TREATMENT EFFECT ON QOL. CONCLUSION YOGA MAY PROVIDE THE GREATEST MENTAL-HEALTH-RELATED QOL BENEFITS FOR THOSE EXPERIENCING PRE-RADIOTHERAPY SLEEP DISTURBANCE AND DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS. YOGA MAY IMPROVE PHYSICAL-HEALTH-RELATED QOL BY INCREASING ABILITY TO FIND BENEFIT IN THE CANCER EXPERIENCE. 2016 10 2553 32 YOGA FOR CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS AFTER COMPLETING CANCER TREATMENT. SURVIVORS OF CHILDHOOD CANCER MAY EXPERIENCE PERSISTENT SYMPTOMS, INCLUDING FATIGUE, SLEEP DISTURBANCE, AND BALANCE IMPAIRMENT. YOGA IS A COMPLEMENTARY THERAPY THAT IMPROVES FATIGUE, SLEEP, AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN ADULT CANCER SURVIVORS. USING A ONE GROUP, REPEATED MEASURES DESIGN, WE EVALUATED THE FEASIBILITY OF A YOGA PROGRAM AND ASSESSED IF CANCER SURVIVOR PARTICIPANTS AGES 10 TO 17 YEARS (N = 13) HAD SIGNIFICANTLY LESS FATIGUE AND ANXIETY, AND BETTER BALANCE AND SLEEP, AFTER A 6-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION COMPARED WITH A 6-WEEK PRE-INTERVENTION WAIT PERIOD. STUDY RECRUITMENT WAS CHALLENGING WITH A 32% ENROLLMENT RATE; YOGA ATTENDANCE WAS 90%. NONE OF THE SCORES FOR ANXIETY, FATIGUE, SLEEP, AND BALANCE HAD SIGNIFICANT CHANGES DURING THE WAIT PERIOD. AFTER THE 6-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM, CHILDREN (N = 7) HAD A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN ANXIETY SCORE (P = .04) WHILE ADOLESCENT SCORES (N = 7) SHOWED A DECREASING TREND (P = .10). SCORES FOR FATIGUE, SLEEP, AND BALANCE REMAINED STABLE POST-INTERVENTION. FATIGUE AND BALANCE SCORES WERE BELOW NORMS FOR HEALTH CHILDREN/ADOLESCENTS WHILE SLEEP AND ANXIETY SCORES WERE SIMILAR TO HEALTHY PEERS. 2016 11 1827 36 PSYCHOLOGICAL BENEFITS OF YOGA FOR FEMALE INMATES. FEMALE INMATES INVOLVED IN THE YOGA PRISON PROJECT AT TWO CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES IN SOUTH CAROLINA SERVED AS SUBJECTS. INMATES WERE SELECTED FROM THOSE WHO APPLIED TO PARTICIPATE IN A TEN-WEEK TRAUMA-FOCUSED YOGA PROGRAM. TO CREATE CONTROL AND EXPERIMENTAL GROUPS, INMATES WHO REQUESTED TO PARTICIPATE WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO BE IN THE CLASS (TREATMENT GROUP, N = 33) OR A WAITLIST (CONTROL GROUP, N = 17). INMATES ON THE WAITLIST SUBSEQUENTLY JOINED THE NEXT CLASS, SO ALL WHO APPLIED AND WERE ELIGIBLE PARTICIPATED IN A YOGA CLASS. MEASURES OF STRESS, DEPRESSION, SELF CONTROL, ANXIETY, SELF AWARENESS AND RUMINATION WERE USED AND DATA WAS COLLECTED FROM BOTH GROUPS BEFORE THE INITIAL YOGA CLASS BEGAN AND AGAIN AT THE END, TEN WEEKS LATER. TO ASSESS THE CHANGES FROM PRE-INTERVENTION TO POST-INTERVENTION, MIXED DESIGN ANOVA TESTS WERE CONDUCTED. INMATES IN THE YOGA GROUP REPORTED SIGNIFICANT DECREASES IN DEPRESSION AND STRESS AND IMPROVED SELF-AWARENESS. NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES WERE FOUND ON MEASURES OF ANXIETY, RUMINATION AND SELF-CONTROL IN THE YOGA GROUPS. ALTHOUGH NOT STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT, ANXIETY SCORES DID DECREASE AND SELF-CONTROL SCORES IMPROVED FOR THE YOGA GROUP, WHILE INMATES IN THE CONTROL GROUP REPORTED A WORSENING OR NO CHANGE ON THESE TWO MEASURES. NO CHANGES WERE FOUND IN RUMINATION LEVELS. THE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT YOGA IS A RELATIVELY INEXPENSIVE INTERVENTION THAT COULD BENEFIT BOTH INMATES AND PRISON STAFF BY REDUCING SOME NEGATIVE BEHAVIORS AND POSSIBLY MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS. 2017 12 1527 36 IYENGAR YOGA FOR DISTRESSED WOMEN: A 3-ARMED RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. DISTRESS IS AN INCREASING PUBLIC HEALTH PROBLEM. WE AIMED TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTS OF AN IYENGAR YOGA PROGRAM ON PERCEIVED STRESS AND PSYCHOLOGICAL OUTCOMES IN DISTRESSED WOMEN AND EVALUATED A POTENTIAL DOSE-EFFECT RELATIONSHIP. SEVENTY-TWO FEMALE DISTRESSED SUBJECTS WERE INCLUDED INTO A 3-ARMED RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL AND ALLOCATED TO YOGA GROUP 1 (N = 24) WITH TWELVE 90 MIN SESSIONS OVER 3 MONTHS, YOGA GROUP 2 (N = 24) WITH 24 SESSIONS OVER 3 MONTHS, OR A WAITING LIST CONTROL GROUP (N = 24). THE PRIMARY OUTCOME WAS STRESS PERCEPTION, MEASURED BY COHEN STRESS SCALE; SECONDARY OUTCOMES INCLUDED STATE TRAIT ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL), PROFILE OF MOOD STATES, WELL BEING, AND BODILY COMPLAINTS. AFTER THREE MONTHS, WOMEN IN THE YOGA GROUPS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN PERCEIVED STRESS (P = 0.003), STATE TRAIT ANXIETY (P = 0.021 AND P = 0.003), DEPRESSION (P = 0.008), PSYCHOLOGICAL QOL (P = 0.012), MOOD STATES BEING (P = 0.007), AND BODILY COMPLAINTS WELL(P = 0.012) WHEN COMPARED TO CONTROLS. BOTH YOGA PROGRAMS WERE SIMILARLY EFFECTIVE FOR THESE OUTCOMES; HOWEVER, COMPLIANCE WAS BETTER IN THE GROUP WITH FEWER SESSIONS (YOGA GROUP 1). DOSE EFFECTS WERE SEEN ONLY IN THE ANALYSIS OF GROUP-INDEPENDENT EFFECTS FOR BACK PAIN, ANXIETY, AND DEPRESSION. THESE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT IYENGAR YOGA EFFECTIVELY REDUCES DISTRESS AND IMPROVES RELATED PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL OUTCOMES. FURTHERMORE, ATTENDING TWICE-WEEKLY YOGA CLASSES WAS NOT SUPERIOR TO ONCE-WEEKLY CLASSES, AS A RESULT OF LIMITED COMPLIANCE IN THE TWICE-WEEKLY GROUP. 2012 13 1541 38 KRIPALU YOGA FOR MILITARY VETERANS WITH PTSD: A RANDOMIZED TRIAL. OBJECTIVES: THIS RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF YOGA FOR MILITARY VETERANS AND ACTIVE DUTY PERSONNEL WITH POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD) EVALUATED THE EFFICACY OF A 10-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION ON PTSD. METHOD: FIFTY-ONE PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMIZED INTO YOGA OR NO-TREATMENT ASSESSMENT-ONLY CONTROL GROUPS. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES INCLUDED QUESTIONNAIRES AND THE CLINICIAN ADMINISTERED PTSD SCALE. RESULTS: BOTH YOGA (N = 9) AND CONTROL (N = 6) PARTICIPANTS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT DECREASES IN REEXPERIENCING SYMPTOMS, WITH NO SIGNIFICANT BETWEEN-GROUP DIFFERENCES. SECONDARY WITHIN-GROUP ANALYSES OF A SELF-SELECTED WAIT-LIST YOGA GROUP (N = 7) SHOWED SIGNIFICANT REDUCTIONS IN PTSD SYMPTOMS AFTER YOGA PARTICIPATION, IN CONTRAST TO THEIR CONTROL GROUP PARTICIPATION. CONSISTENT WITH CURRENT LITERATURE REGARDING HIGH RATES OF PTSD TREATMENT DROPOUT FOR VETERANS, THIS STUDY FACED CHALLENGES RETAINING PARTICIPANTS ACROSS CONDITIONS. CONCLUSION: THESE RESULTS ARE CONSISTENT WITH RECENT LITERATURE INDICATING THAT YOGA MAY HAVE POTENTIAL AS A PTSD THERAPY IN A VETERAN OR MILITARY POPULATION. HOWEVER, ADDITIONAL LARGER SAMPLE SIZE TRIALS ARE NECESSARY TO CONFIRM THIS CONCLUSION. 2018 14 2654 34 YOGA IMPROVES QUALITY OF LIFE AND BENEFIT FINDING IN WOMEN UNDERGOING RADIOTHERAPY FOR BREAST CANCER. THIS STUDY EXAMINED THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) AND PSYCHOSOCIAL OUTCOMES IN WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER UNDERGOING RADIOTHERAPY. SIXTY-ONE WOMEN WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO EITHER A YOGA OR A WAIT-LIST GROUP. YOGA CLASSES WERE TAUGHT BIWEEKLY DURING THE 6 WEEKS OF RADIOTHERAPY. PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED MEASURES OF QOL, FATIGUE, BENEFIT FINDING (FINDING MEANING IN THE CANCER EXPERIENCE), INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS, SLEEP DISTURBANCES, DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS, AND ANXIETY BEFORE RADIOTHERAPY AND THEN AGAIN 1 WEEK, 1 MONTH, AND 3 MONTHS AFTER THE END OF RADIOTHERAPY. GENERAL LINEAR MODEL ANALYSES REVEALED THAT COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP, THE YOGA GROUP REPORTED SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER GENERAL HEALTH PERCEPTION (P = .005) AND PHYSICAL FUNCTIONING SCORES (P = .04) 1 WEEK POSTRADIOTHERAPY; HIGHER LEVELS OF INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS 1 MONTH POSTRADIOTHERAPY (P = .01); AND GREATER BENEFIT FINDING 3 MONTHS POSTRADIOTHERAPY (P = .01). THERE WERE NO OTHER GROUP DIFFERENCES IN OTHER QOL SUBSCALES FOR FATIGUE, DEPRESSION, OR SLEEP SCORES. EXPLORATORY ANALYSES INDICATED THAT INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS 1 MONTH AFTER RADIOTHERAPY WERE SIGNIFICANTLY POSITIVELY CORRELATED WITH BENEFIT FINDING 3 MONTHS AFTER RADIOTHERAPY (R = .36, P = .011). OUR RESULTS INDICATED THAT THE YOGA PROGRAM WAS ASSOCIATED WITH STATISTICALLY AND CLINICALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN ASPECTS OF QOL. 2010 15 1505 31 IREST YOGA-NIDRA ON THE COLLEGE CAMPUS: CHANGES IN STRESS, DEPRESSION, WORRY, AND MINDFULNESS. OBJECTIVES: THERE IS EVIDENCE THAT YOGA PRACTICE IS ASSOCIATED WITH DECREASED STRESS, WORRY, AND DEPRESSION, AND WITH IMPROVED MINDFULNESS-BASED SKILLS. THESE FINDINGS HAD NOT BEEN PREVIOUSLY REPLICATED FOR A SAMPLE OF COLLEGE STUDENTS. THIS STUDY EVALUATED WHETHER IREST YOGA-NIDRA PRACTICE WAS ASSOCIATED WITH REDUCED PERCEIVED STRESS, WORRY, AND DEPRESSION, AND INCREASED MINDFULNESS IN A SAMPLE OF COLLEGE STUDENT S. METHODS: SIXTY-SIX STUDENTS AGE 18-56 COMPLETED AN 8-WEEK IREST YOGA-NIDRA INTERVENTION THAT WAS OFFERED FOR 8 SEMESTERS. ASSESSMENT OCCURRED 1 WEEK PRIOR TO INTERVENTION ONSET AND DURING THE CLASS PERIOD FOLLOWING THE INTERVENTION. QUALITATIVE DATA WERE COLLECTED AT WEEKS 4 AND 8. RESULTS: STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT PRE- TO POSTTEST IMPROVEMENTS IN PERCEIVED STRESS, WORRY, AND DEPRESSION WERE FOUND. PRE-EXISTING DEPRESSION ACCOUNTED FOR MOST OF THE CHANGE IN WORRY AND PERCEIVED STRESS SCORES. PRE- TO POST TEST IMPROVEMENTS IN MINDFULNESS-BASED SKILLS WERE ALSO DETECTED. CONCLUSIONS: IREST YOGA-NIDRA PRACTICE MAY REDUCE SYMPTOMS OF PERCEIVED STRESS, WORRY, AND DEPRESSION AND INCREASE MINDFULNESS-BASED SKILLS. 2013 16 1557 35 LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF COGNITIVE-BEHAVIORAL THERAPY AND YOGA FOR WORRIED OLDER ADULTS. OBJECTIVES: COGNITIVE-BEHAVIORAL THERAPY (CBT) AND YOGA DECREASE WORRY AND ANXIETY. THERE ARE NO LONG-TERM DATA COMPARING CBT AND YOGA FOR WORRY, ANXIETY, AND SLEEP IN OLDER ADULTS. THE IMPACT OF PREFERENCE AND SELECTION ON THESE OUTCOMES IS UNKNOWN. IN THIS SECONDARY DATA ANALYSIS, WE COMPARED LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF CBT BY TELEPHONE AND YOGA ON WORRY, ANXIETY, SLEEP, DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS, FATIGUE, PHYSICAL FUNCTION, SOCIAL PARTICIPATION, AND PAIN; AND EXAMINED PREFERENCE AND SELECTION EFFECTS. DESIGN: IN THIS RANDOMIZED PREFERENCE TRIAL, PARTICIPANTS (N = 500) WERE RANDOMIZED TO A: 1) RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL (RCT) OF CBT OR YOGA (N = 250); OR 2) PREFERENCE TRIAL (SELECTED CBT OR YOGA; N = 250). OUTCOMES WERE MEASURED AT BASELINE AND WEEK 37. SETTING: COMMUNITY. PARTICIPANTS: COMMUNITY-DWELLING OLDER ADULTS (AGE 60+ YEARS). INTERVENTIONS: CBT (BY TELEPHONE) AND YOGA (IN-PERSON GROUP CLASSES). MEASUREMENTS: PENN STATE WORRY QUESTIONNAIRE - ABBREVIATED (WORRY);(1)(,)(2) INSOMNIA SEVERITY INDEX (SLEEP);(3) PROMIS ANXIETY SHORT FORM V1.0 (ANXIETY);(4)(,)(5) GENERALIZED ANXIETY DISORDER SCREENER (GENERALIZED ANXIETY);(6)(,)(7) AND PROMIS-29 (DEPRESSION, FATIGUE, PHYSICAL FUNCTION, SOCIAL PARTICIPATION, PAIN).(8)(,)(9) RESULTS: SIX MONTHS AFTER INTERVENTION COMPLETION, CBT AND YOGA RCT PARTICIPANTS REPORTED SUSTAINED IMPROVEMENTS FROM BASELINE IN WORRY, ANXIETY, SLEEP, DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS, FATIGUE, AND SOCIAL PARTICIPATION (NO SIGNIFICANT BETWEEN-GROUP DIFFERENCES). USING DATA COMBINED FROM THE RANDOMIZED AND PREFERENCE TRIALS, THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT PREFERENCE OR SELECTION EFFECTS. LONG-TERM INTERVENTION EFFECTS WERE OBSERVED AT CLINICALLY MEANINGFUL LEVELS FOR MOST OF THE STUDY OUTCOMES. CONCLUSIONS: CBT AND YOGA BOTH DEMONSTRATED MAINTAINED IMPROVEMENTS FROM BASELINE ON MULTIPLE OUTCOMES SIX MONTHS AFTER INTERVENTION COMPLETION IN A LARGE SAMPLE OF OLDER ADULTS. TRIAL REGISTRATION: WWW. CLINICALTRIALS: GOV IDENTIFIER NCT02968238. 2022 17 1446 44 INDIVIDUALIZED YOGA FOR REDUCING DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY, AND IMPROVING WELL-BEING: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY ARE LEADING CAUSES OF DISABILITY WORLDWIDE. CURRENT TREATMENTS ARE PRIMARILY PHARMACEUTICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL. QUESTIONS REMAIN ABOUT EFFECTIVENESS AND SUITABILITY FOR DIFFERENT PEOPLE. PREVIOUS RESEARCH SUGGESTS POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF YOGA FOR REDUCING DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY IS TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTS OF AN INDIVIDUALIZED YOGA INTERVENTION. METHODS: A SAMPLE OF 101 PEOPLE WITH SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION AND/OR ANXIETY PARTICIPATED IN A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL COMPARING A 6-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION WITH WAITLIST CONTROL. YOGA WAS ADDITIONAL TO USUAL TREATMENT. THE CONTROL GROUP WAS OFFERED THE YOGA FOLLOWING THE WAITLIST PERIOD. MEASURES INCLUDED DEPRESSION ANXIETY STRESS SCALE (DASS-21), KESSLER PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS SCALE (K10), SHORT-FORM HEALTH SURVEY (SF12), SCALE OF POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE EXPERIENCE (SPANE), FLOURISHING SCALE (FS), AND CONNOR-DAVIDSON RESILIENCE SCALE (CD-RISC2). RESULTS: THERE WERE STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN YOGA AND CONTROL GROUPS ON REDUCTION OF DEPRESSION SCORES (-4.30; 95% CI: -7.70, -0.01; P = .01; ES -.44). DIFFERENCES IN REDUCED ANXIETY SCORES WERE NOT STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT (-1.91; 95% CI: -4.58, 0.76; P = .16). STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN FAVOR OF YOGA WERE ALSO FOUND ON TOTAL DASS (P = .03), K10, SF12 MENTAL HEALTH, SPANE, FS, AND RESILIENCE SCORES (P < .01 FOR EACH). DIFFERENCES IN STRESS AND SF12 PHYSICAL HEALTH SCORES WERE NOT STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT. BENEFITS WERE MAINTAINED AT 6-WEEK FOLLOW-UP. CONCLUSION: YOGA PLUS REGULAR CARE WAS EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION COMPARED WITH REGULAR CARE ALONE. FURTHER INVESTIGATION IS WARRANTED REGARDING POTENTIAL BENEFITS IN ANXIETY. INDIVIDUALIZED YOGA MAY BE PARTICULARLY BENEFICIAL IN MENTAL HEALTH CARE IN THE BROADER COMMUNITY. 2016 18 661 43 EFFECT OF 12 WEEKS OF YOGA TRAINING ON THE SOMATIZATION, PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS, AND STRESS-RELATED BIOMARKERS OF HEALTHY WOMEN. BACKGROUND: PREVIOUS STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT THE PRACTICE OF YOGA REDUCES PERCEIVED STRESS AND NEGATIVE FEELINGS AND THAT IT IMPROVES PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS. OUR PREVIOUS STUDY ALSO SUGGESTED THAT LONG-TERM YOGA TRAINING IMPROVES STRESS-RELATED PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS SUCH AS ANXIETY AND ANGER. HOWEVER, LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT THE BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF YOGA PRACTICE ON SOMATIZATION, THE MOST COMMON STRESS-RELATED PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS, AND STRESS-RELATED BIOMARKERS. WE PERFORMED A PROSPECTIVE, SINGLE ARM STUDY TO EXAMINE THE BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF 12 WEEKS OF YOGA TRAINING ON SOMATIZATION, PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS, AND STRESS-RELATED BIOMARKERS. METHODS: WE RECRUITED HEALTHY WOMEN WHO HAD NO EXPERIENCE WITH YOGA. THE DATA OF 24 PARTICIPANTS WHO WERE FOLLOWED DURING 12 WEEKS OF YOGA TRAINING WERE ANALYZED. SOMATIZATION AND PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS WERE ASSESSED BEFORE AND AFTER 12 WEEKS OF YOGA TRAINING USING THE PROFILE OF MOOD STATE (POMS) AND THE SYMPTOM CHECKLIST-90-REVISED (SCL-90-R) QUESTIONNAIRES. URINARY 8-HYDROXYDEOXYGUANOSINE (8-OHDG), BIOPYRRIN, AND CORTISOL LEVELS WERE MEASURED AS STRESS-RELATED BIOMARKERS. THE WILCOXON SIGNED-RANK TEST WAS USED TO COMPARE THE STRESS-RELATED BIOMARKERS AND THE SCORES OF QUESTIONNAIRES BEFORE AND AFTER 12 WEEKS OF YOGA TRAINING. RESULTS: AFTER 12 WEEKS OF YOGA TRAINING, ALL NEGATIVE SUBSCALE SCORES (TENSION-ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, ANGER-HOSTILITY, FATIGUE, AND CONFUSION) FROM THE POMS AND SOMATIZATION, ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, AND HOSTILITY FROM THE SCL-90-R WERE SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED COMPARED WITH THOSE BEFORE STARTING YOGA TRAINING. CONTRARY TO OUR EXPECTATION, THE URINARY 8-OHDG CONCENTRATION AFTER 12 WEEKS OF YOGA TRAINING SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE COMPARED WITH THAT BEFORE STARTING YOGA TRAINING. NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES WERE OBSERVED IN THE LEVELS OF URINARY BIOPYRRIN AND CORTISOL AFTER THE 12 WEEKS OF YOGA TRAINING. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA TRAINING HAS THE POTENTIAL TO REDUCE THE SOMATIZATION SCORE AND THE SCORES RELATED TO MENTAL HEALTH INDICATORS, SUCH AS ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, ANGER, AND FATIGUE. THE PRESENT FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT YOGA CAN IMPROVE SOMATIZATION AND MENTAL HEALTH STATUS AND HAS IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PREVENTION OF PSYCHOSOMATIC SYMPTOMS IN HEALTHY WOMEN. TRIAL REGISTRATION: UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL MEDICAL INFORMATION NETWORK (UMIN CTR) UMIN000007868. 2014 19 1193 36 EXAMINING MECHANISMS OF CHANGE IN A YOGA INTERVENTION FOR WOMEN: THE INFLUENCE OF MINDFULNESS, PSYCHOLOGICAL FLEXIBILITY, AND EMOTION REGULATION ON PTSD SYMPTOMS. OBJECTIVE: THIS STUDY EXPLORED POSSIBLE MECHANISMS THROUGH WHICH SYMPTOMS OF POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD) WERE REDUCED IN A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL COMPARING THE EFFECT OF A YOGA INTERVENTION WITH AN ASSESSMENT CONTROL. METHOD: WE EXAMINED WHETHER CHANGES IN PSYCHOLOGICAL FLEXIBILITY, MINDFULNESS, AND EMOTION REGULATION STRATEGIES (EXPRESSIVE SUPPRESSION AND REAPPRAISAL) WERE ASSOCIATED WITH POSTTREATMENT PTSD SYMPTOMS FOR 38 WOMEN WITH DIAGNOSTIC AND STATISTICAL MANUAL OF MENTAL DISORDERS FOURTH EDITION FULL OR SUBTHRESHOLD PTSD. RESULTS: HIERARCHICAL LINEAR REGRESSION MODELS REVEALED THAT EXPRESSIVE SUPPRESSION SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED FOR THE YOGA GROUP RELATIVE TO THE ASSESSMENT CONTROL. PSYCHOLOGICAL FLEXIBILITY INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY FOR THE CONTROL BUT NOT YOGA GROUP. HOWEVER, INCREASES IN PSYCHOLOGICAL FLEXIBILITY WERE ASSOCIATED WITH DECREASES IN PTSD SYMPTOMS FOR THE YOGA BUT NOT CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSION: PRELIMINARY FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT YOGA MAY REDUCE EXPRESSIVE SUPPRESSION AND MAY IMPROVE PTSD SYMPTOMS BY INCREASING PSYCHOLOGICAL FLEXIBILITY. MORE RESEARCH IS NEEDED TO REPLICATE AND EXTEND THESE FINDINGS. 2014 20 1372 31 IMPACT OF A YOGA AND MEDITATION INTERVENTION ON STUDENTS' STRESS AND ANXIETY LEVELS. OBJECTIVE. TO EVALUATE THE IMPACT OF A SIX-WEEK YOGA AND MEDITATION INTERVENTION ON COLLEGE STUDENTS' STRESS PERCEPTION, ANXIETY LEVELS, AND MINDFULNESS SKILLS. METHODS. COLLEGE STUDENTS PARTICIPATED IN A SIX-WEEK PILOT PROGRAM THAT CONSISTED OF A 60-MINUTE VINYASA FLOW YOGA CLASS ONCE WEEKLY, FOLLOWED BY GUIDED MEDITATION DELIVERED BY TRAINED FACULTY MEMBERS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND COLLEGE OF PHARMACY. STUDENTS COMPLETED PRE- AND POST-INTERVENTION QUESTIONNAIRES TO EVALUATE CHANGES IN THE FOLLOWING OUTCOMES: STRESS LEVELS, ANXIETY LEVELS, AND MINDFULNESS SKILLS. THE QUESTIONNAIRE CONSISTED OF THREE SELF-REPORTING TOOLS: THE BECK ANXIETY INVENTORY (BAI), THE PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE (PSS), AND THE FIVE FACET MINDFULNESS QUESTIONNAIRE (FFMQ). STUDENTS' SCORES ON EACH WERE ASSESSED TO DETECT ANY CHANGES FROM BASELINE USING THE NUMERICAL AND CATEGORICAL SCALES (LOW, MEDIUM, AND HIGH) FOR EACH INSTRUMENT. RESULTS. SEVENTEEN PARTICIPANTS, AGED 19 TO 23 YEARS, COMPLETED THE STUDY. THIRTEEN PARTICIPANTS WERE FEMALE AND FOUR WERE MALE. NINE OF THE STUDENTS WERE ENROLLED IN THE DOCTOR OF PHARMACY PROGRAM AND EIGHT WERE ENROLLED IN OTHER ACADEMIC PROGRAMS. STUDENTS' ANXIETY AND STRESS SCORES DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY WHILE THEIR TOTAL MINDFULNESS INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY. CHANGES IN CATEGORICAL DATA FROM PRE- TO POST-INTERVENTION ON THE BAI AND PSS WERE SIGNIFICANT, WITH NO STUDENTS SCORING IN THE "HIGH" CATEGORY FOR STRESS OR ANXIETY ON THE POST-INTERVENTION QUESTIONNAIRE. CONCLUSION. STUDENTS EXPERIENCED A REDUCTION IN STRESS AND ANXIETY LEVELS AFTER COMPLETING A SIX-WEEK YOGA AND MEDITATION PROGRAM PRECEDING FINAL EXAMINATIONS. RESULTS SUGGEST THAT ADOPTING A MINDFULNESS PRACTICE FOR AS LITTLE AS ONCE PER WEEK MAY REDUCE STRESS AND ANXIETY IN COLLEGE STUDENTS. ADMINISTRATORS SHOULD CONSIDER INCLUDING INSTRUCTION IN NONPHARMACOLOGIC STRESS AND ANXIETY REDUCTION METHODS, WITHIN CURRICULA IN ORDER TO SUPPORT STUDENT SELF-CARE. 2019