Content uploaded by Daiva Daukantaitė
Author content
All content in this area was uploaded by Daiva Daukantaitė on Nov 15, 2019
Content may be subject to copyright.
The effects of yoga on stress and psychological health among employees: an 8- and 16-week intervention study
Abstract
Background: The stresses of modern work life necessitate effective coping strategies that are accessible and affordable to the general public. Yoga has been found to reduce stress in clinical samples, but studies are needed to examine standard gym yoga classes among functional individuals.
Objectives: This study investigated the effects of 8- and 16-week gym yoga on stress and psychological health.
Design and Method: Ninety individuals reporting moderate-to-high stress were randomly assigned to 16 consecutive weeks of yoga, or to a waitlist crossover group who did not practice yoga for 8 weeks then practiced yoga for 8 weeks. Stress and psychological health variables were assessed at baseline, 8 weeks, and 16 weeks.
Results: Significant reductions in stress and all psychological health measures were found within the Yoga group over 16 weeks. When compared to the control group, yoga practitioners showed significant decreases in stress, anxiety, and general psychological health, and significant increases in well-being. The group who did not practice yoga showed significant decreases in stress, anxiety, depression, and insomnia after they crossed over and practiced yoga for 8 weeks.
Conclusions: Gym yoga appears to be effective for stress amelioration and promotion of psychological health among workers experiencing stress.
... One study was part of a thesis (39) and the other studies were published in peer-reviewed journals. Of the 13 included studies, four were from Sweden (41)(42)(43)(44), three from Germany (13,39,49), two each from Australia (46,47) and the United States (40,48), and one study each originated from the United Kingdom (45) and Brazil (38). The 13 studies included 1026 participants with mean ages ranging from 33.5 to 55.5 years (median: 45 years). ...
... Participants were recruited from the general population (13,38,39,42,47,49), companies (40,41,45), a university (44) and from a primary health care centre (43). Four studies included working adults (40)(41)(42)(43)(44)(45), with one study referring to employees working at home during the pandemic (40). Three studies included FIGURE 1 Study flow diagram. ...
... Common to all the studies was that the participants perceived themselves to be stressed. Thus, the presence of stress as an inclusion criterion was assessed in eight studies by reaching a certain stress score on a stress scale (38, 40,42,[44][45][46][47][48], in two studies by reporting stress-related symptoms (41,43) and in three studies by a combination of both (13, 39, 49). ...
Background
With the increasing prevalence of stress, stress reduction is getting more and more important. Yoga is being considered as a non-pharmacological treatment option for stress.
Objective
Investigation of the effects of yoga on stress in stressed adults from the general population.
Methods
Databases were searched up to March 17, 2023 (updated search on May 17, 2024). Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of yoga for stressed adults were included if they assessed perceived stress. Further outcomes were quality of life and stress-related physiological measures. Standardised mean differences (SMDs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. The quality of the included studies was assessed using the Cochrane tool, and the quality of the evidence for each outcome was graded according to the GRADE recommendations.
Results
A total of 13 RCTs with 1026 participants were included in the qualitative analysis and nine RCTs in the quantitative analysis. The meta-analyses revealed low quality of evidence for short-term effects of yoga on stress compared to passive control groups (SMD=-0.69, 95%CI=-1.12- -0.25) and low quality of evidence for long-term effects on stress in favour of active control groups (SMD=0.23, 95%CI=0.06-0.40). There was moderate quality of evidence for short-term effects of yoga on quality of life compared to passive control groups (SMD=0.86, 95%CI=0.72-1.00). No adverse events occurred in the three safety reporting studies.
Conclusions
As there is low quality of evidence for short-term effects of yoga on perceived stress in stressed adults from the general population compared to passive control groups, yoga can be considered as a non-pharmacological treatment option for stress reduction.
Systematic review registration
https://inplasy.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/INPLASY-Protocol-4595.pdf INPLASY, identifier 202330062.
... The proposed mechanisms of yoga on stress, physical health, and emotional wellbeing comprise increasing psychological resources, such as mindfulness, positive affect, self-compassion, body consciousness, self-transcendence, spiritual peace, and social connectedness [43,44]. Indeed, studies indicate that people who practice yoga have higher levels of mindfulness, better quality of life, and lower levels of depression, anxiety, and stress [45,46]. Notably, yoga as a form of physical activity is more often chosen by women than men [41,47]. ...
... H1. Women who practice yoga at least 150 min a week [28] score higher in trait mindfulness [31,32,47] and lower in perceived stress [31,32,45,46,50] compared to women engaged in physical activity and those who are physically inactive. ...
... Previous research also indicates that physical activity has a positive effect on improving the mental health of individuals by means of developing trait mindfulness and reducing perceived stress levels [29,30,51,52]. Among the various types of physical activity, yoga seems exceptionally potent for developing mindfulness and lowering perceived stress, as it involves not only physical exercise but also meditation and breathing exercises [31,45,47,58]. ...
(1) Background: This study aimed to investigate whether yoga practice and physical activity level play an essential role in trait mindfulness and perceived stress reduction. Moreover, the study examined the differences in trait mindfulness and perceived stress between women who practiced yoga and those who engaged in other physical activities or were physically inactive, taking into account the time spent on physical activity in accordance with the World Health Organization recommendations. (2) Methods: A sample of 201 women participated in a cross-sectional online-based study, including 96 yoga practitioners and 105 non-practitioners of yoga (including physically active and inactive individuals). The average age of the participants was 36 years (range, 18–72 years; M = 36.19, SD = 11.64). Respondents completed the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10). (3) Results: Women who practiced yoga and were physically active had a significantly higher level of trait mindfulness and lower perceived stress levels than women who did not practice yoga and were physically inactive. An indirect effect of physical activity on perceived stress through mindfulness was shown only for women practicing yoga for at least 150 min per week. (4) Conclusions: This study revealed the importance of frequent yoga practice in reducing perceived stress and improving mindfulness traits. These findings may serve as a basis for implementing preventive actions in women experiencing high levels of everyday stress.
... The questionnaires included in this research paper indicate the results that athletes experience nervousness, increased heart rate, and other stress-related symptoms during competitions based on their repeated responses. The study by Maddux et al. [64] showed that a random group of 90 participants (control group) reported without an intervention a medium to high stress level, as athletes in our research. Therefore, the correlation was made within a 16-week yoga intervention, the study participants significantly reduced stress and psychological distress compared to the control group. ...
... Therefore, the correlation was made within a 16-week yoga intervention, the study participants significantly reduced stress and psychological distress compared to the control group. Study participants experienced lower stress, anxiety, and depression after participating in yoga practice [64] . ...
... The findings of Maddux et al. [64] correlate with the results of our research and show that the participants show a lower stress level and a lower anxiety. ...
The presented paper investigates the impact of a one-year yoga intervention on stress regulation among top tennis players. The participants in this study consist of 39 top tennis players who are members of the VICTORIA University Sports Centre of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic. The targeted tennis players integrated two 60-minute dynamic vinyasa yoga sessions each practice week into their normal tennis routines. This was designed to provide physical and mental benefits to athletes, focussing on stress regulation and improved focus. Assessments were performed before and after the intervention to determine changes in stress regulation, competition anxiety, and the accuracy of the service. To measure stress regulation, the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and the Competition Anxiety Inventory for Tennis Players (CAI-T) were used. The accuracy of the tennis player’s service was evaluated quarterly. The evaluation of the data sets showed changes in the regulation of anxiety and stress of tennis players. Furthermore, a paired sample t-test showed a significant impact of the yoga intervention on stress regulation. PSS scores showed a reduction, and also the CAI-T test scores showed a significant downward trend. Service accuracy was improved. A paired t-test confirmed that this improvement is statistically significant. We can conclude that the yoga intervention increases tennis players’ performance and well-being.
... However, there is a great variety of yoga practiced in the world today, varying from classical and holistic forms to yoga where the physical aspects are central. For example, in their study described in the article "The effects of yoga on stress and psychological health among employees," Maddux et al. (30) used the term "gym yoga" for the yoga interventions they employed. This could illustrate a tendency in occupational yoga, as well as in yoga in the West, that the focus is primarily on the physical aspects of yoga. ...
... It also matters what profession you have: For example, health professionals often have high levels of stress in their job and can benefit from yoga (43,54). Also educational professionals experience stress due to contradictory demands, and find that yoga strengthens their ability to cope (12,30,44,55). Wellbeing at work is important for all professions, considering the time and effort involved in tasks and performance, as well as the organizational outcome (56). ...
... Furthermore, practicing yoga was experienced as contributing to the interviewees coping with stress and reducing stress: by going more inwards, feeling calmer, happier, and more satisfied, being less sensitive to others' expectations, being more peaceful, having less stiffness in the body, having less muscle tension, and having less worry regarding everything they feel they "have to do." As described in the discussion of results, our findings confirm and concretize the meta-analysis by numerous authors on yoga, stress, and wellbeing, which found that most studies on yoga and occupational yoga found a significant increase in wellbeing as well as a reduction in stress after yoga interventions( (12,13,30,36,75,82). In our study, the informants interpreted their yoga experiences as facilitating that they were on a path of positive self-development (or even self-actualization). ...
Background
Workplace stress is a serious problem globally. It represents a major threat to the UN’s sustainability goal of good health and wellbeing (SDG 3). The purpose of this article is to explore how yoga may be a tool for increased wellbeing and stress management at work and in everyday life.
Methods
To examine how yoga can facilitate employees’ wellbeing and ability to cope with stress, we performed qualitative interviews with practitioners who did yoga regularly. We focused on how yoga was experienced by each of our interviewees and what practicing yoga meant to them. Our data material consists of 13 semi-structured lifeworld interviews. The sample consisted of 10 female and 3 male in the age range of 20–55 years old. The data were analyzed through a thematic analysis.
Results
The themes identified in the thematic analysis include: (1) yoga as a tool for increased wellbeing, (2) yoga for coping with stress and dealing with challenges, (3) the role of breathing, and (4) contextual factors. While confirming other research findings, this article elaborates on aspects informants described as induced by yoga, like self-awareness, calmness, balance, mood-lifting, focus, presence, self-care, and mastery. The reported positive outcomes of yoga constituted increased wellbeing, and also facilitated the ability to cope with stress and experience less stress. Informants also emphasized that yogic breathing was a central factor in inducing wellbeing and feeling less stressed. They also expressed that contextual factors, such as time, teacher, and location, influenced how practicing yoga was experienced and made sense of.
Conclusion
The study concludes that the interviewees experienced practicing yoga as positive, by reducing their occupational stress. Moreover, yoga increased their wellbeing, as well as their ability to cope with stress. These experienced changes were especially facilitated by yogic breathing, and influenced by contextual factors.
... H. Chu et al., 2023). Maddux et al. (2018) study findings indicated that a 16-week yoga program resulted in reductions in stress, anxiety, depression, and sleep disturbances, while also fostering a heightened mindfulness and life balance. In essence, it can be inferred that the impact of yoga practice may not be noticeable within a brief period, but its effectiveness tends to increase following a consistent practice over a span of 16 weeks. ...
Individuals typically have dual effects when experiencing stress, namely a physical manifestation influencing their well-being during stressful episodes and a psychological impact characterized by cognitive, emotional, and behavioural symptoms. The objective of this investigation was to scrutinize the variables exerting influences on stress. Employing a cross-sectional analytical design, this study considered age, gender, employment position, and the duration of yoga practice as independent variables, while stress levels served as the dependent variable. The research involved 20 individuals who participated in a questionnaire test, supplemented by an additional 30 individuals serving as research subjects. The study population were 50 members drawn from fitness centres located in West Jakarta. The data collection relied on the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale questionnaire, probing into facets, such as age, gender, employment situations, and the frequency of yoga practice. The distribution of questionnaires used the Google Forms platform, administered by researchers presented at the research site. Employing a multiple linear regression as the method of data analysis, computations were executed through the JAMOVI statistical program. The findings of this study revealed a negative correlation between age, gender, employment situations, and the duration of yoga practice with stress levels. It suggests that these factors collectively contribute to the reduction in stress levels. However, despite a discernible 23.5 percent difference in stress levels, the impact remains inconspicuous.
Polycystic ovarian syndrome is a hormonal condition that affects 8%–12% of women of reproductive age and 10%–35% of obese women. It is characterised by high levels of androgen, irregular menstrual cycles and/or small cysts on one or both ovaries and it has the potential to cause several clinical manifestations, including hirsutism, oligomenorrhoea, excessive acne and hair loss. Stress is a hidden component that has an impact on modern life and is directly linked to the pathophysiology of many diseases, including polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) in women. The study established the effectiveness of yoga and naturopathy in treating PCOS symptoms. This is the case of a 22-year-old woman who was diagnosed with PCOS and complained about having irregular periods and weight gain before seeking yoga and naturopathy treatment. In the 8 months of follow-up, the patient successfully addressed yoga, dietary changes, hydrotherapy, chanting and lifestyle adjustments at home. This is apparent from the weight loss, regularisation of the menstrual cycle and structural alterations in the ovary were assessed by body mass index and ultrasonography. Yoga and naturopathy treatment was found to be effective in mitigating the symptoms of PCOS like reduction in weight and regular menstrual cycle. A combination of yoga, diet and hydrotherapy, as described in the clinical text, could be an effective and adaptable way to treat PCOS patients.
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is currently the most common psychiatric disorder in the world. It characterized by a high incidence of disease with the symptoms like depressed mood, slowed thinking, and reduced cognitive function. Without timely intervention, there is a 20–30% risk of conversion to treatment-resistant depression (TRD) and a high burden for the patient, family and society. Numerous studies have shown that physical activity (PA) is a non-pharmacological treatment that can significantly improve the mental status of patients with MDD and has positive effects on cognitive function, sleep status, and brain plasticity. However, the physiological and psychological effects of different types of PA on individuals vary, and the dosage profile of PA in improving symptoms in patients with MDD has not been elucidated. In most current studies of MDD, PA can be categorized as continuous endurance training (ECT), explosive interval training (EIT), resistance strength training (RST), and mind–body training (MBT), and the effects on patients’ depressive symptoms, cognitive function, and sleep varied. Therefore, the present study was based on a narrative review and included a large number of existing studies to investigate the characteristics and differences in the effects of different PA interventions on MDD. The study also investigated the characteristics and differences of different PA interventions in MDD, and explained the neural mechanisms through the results of multimodal brain function monitoring, including the intracranial environment and brain structure. It aims to provide exercise prescription and theoretical reference for future research in neuroscience and clinical intervention in MDD.
Abstract
Introduction: The outbreak of Covid-19 is a major health crisis that has
changed the lifestyles of many people around the world. There is widespread
concern about the impact of Covid-19 and its associated limitations on mental
health. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of online yoga and
mindfulness training on perceived stress and resilience of young females
during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Methods: The research method was quasi-experimental with a pretestposttest design with a control group. The sample consisted of 70 young
women (27.64 ± 6.45 years) who were selected by convenience sampling and
randomly divided into experimental and control groups (35 subjects in each
group). The experimental group performed 21 sessions of yoga practice and
mindfulness for 21 consecutive days. Both groups were assessed using the
Cohen et al. (1983) Perceived Stress and Connor & Davidson (2003)
Resilience Scales in both pre-test and post-test. Data were analyzed using
SPSS25 with multivariate analysis of covariance at the significant level of P ≥
0.05.
Results: The results of multivariate analysis of variance showed a significant
difference between the post-test scores of the two groups with a decrease in
perceived stress and an increase in resilience in the experimental group.
However, in the control group, a slight increase and decrease in stress and
resilience were observed in the post-test, respectively, which was not
significant (P =0.001).
Conclusion: Developing online yoga and mindfulness -based intervention
programs seems to help reduce stress and increase resilience in young females
in stressful situations.
Key words: Mindfulness, Yoga, Covid-19, Perceived stress, Resilience
Acknowledgement: There is no conflict of interest
This paper evaluates the results of a longitudinal investigation of the potential benefits of yoga in a nonclinical sample of chronically stressed women (N = 116). Women undertook a twice weekly, hour-long yoga class for a period of 2 months, measuring psychological and physical indicators of health periodically. Changes in both areas were compared against a wait-list control group. The reported energy expenditure between groups was estimated to be similar, which suggests that the control group engaged in physical activities other than yoga. Of the six psychological outcomes measured, we found improvements in three. Specifically, those in the practicing yoga group experienced increases in positive affect, decreases in levels of distress and stress, as well as a decrease in waist circumference and increased flexibility. No between-group differences were found in mindfulness, well-being, and negative affect. These findings are generally consistent with an emerging literature, suggesting that yoga may provide both psychological and physiological effects that extend beyond its more obvious physical benefits, and are discussed in terms of the body’s allostatic load. These results should be considered in light of this study’s limitations, which include its small sample size, lack of an “active” control group, and female-only participants.
Background • Children who experience abuse and neglect and are exposed to adverse life events are at risk of developing emotional and behavioral problems. They may display variable internalizing and externalizing symptoms, such as posttraumatic stress, depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, and aggression. Yoga may be able to regulate body-brain pathways that cause stress following traumatic experiences, thereby reducing adverse mental and physical sequelae. Objective • The objective of this preliminary study is to examine changes in functioning following meetings of a yoga-based psychotherapy group (YBPG) for boys with a history of interpersonal trauma exposure. Methods/Design • The study was a prospective, intervention cohort study. Setting • The study occurred at an urban-based mental health center focusing on treatment of children exposed to interpersonal trauma in their communities and families. Participants • Participants were 10 boys, aged 8-12 y, who primarily were African-Americans (70%) and who had a history of trauma. Intervention • The YBPG was a 12-wk, yoga-based, group therapy, integrated with mental health treatment that was trauma informed and evidence-based. Outcome Measures • Measures of attendance and interpersonal functioning-the Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale 2 (BERS-2) and patient satisfaction surveys-were collected. The pre- and post-YBPG, paired t test; Wilcoxon's signed rank test; and effect sizes were calculated to assess change in interpersonal functioning following the YBPG, as reported by the parents and children. Results • The BERS-2 scores yielded clinically and statistically significant mean improvements on the parents' ratings of participants' (1) Interpersonal Strength, Intrapersonal Strength, and Family Involvement scores, with mean improvements on those subscales being 1.4 (P = .007), 1.9 (P = .012), and 1.4 (P = .045) points, respectively; and (2) Strength Index scores, with a mean improvement of 8.7 (P = .004). The effect size was in the large range. In addition to significant improvements posttreatment, the parents' mean rating score of their children's functioning was closer but still lower than the children's self-reports on all subscales. The attendance rate for the YBPG was among the highest for group therapies at the center. Conclusions • The study provided preliminary evidence for the feasibility of YBPG as an effective intervention for boys exposed to trauma in urban settings.
Background:
Interventions are needed to alleviate memory difficulty in cancer survivors. We previously showed in a phase III randomized clinical trial that YOCAS©® yoga-a program that consists of breathing exercises, postures, and meditation-significantly improved sleep quality in cancer survivors. This study assessed the effects of YOCAS©® on memory and identified relationships between memory and sleep.
Study design and methods:
Survivors were randomized to standard care (SC) or SC with YOCAS©® . 328 participants who provided data on the memory difficulty item of the MD Anderson Symptom Inventory are included. Sleep quality was measured using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. General linear modeling (GLM) determined the group effect of YOCAS©® on memory difficulty compared with SC. GLM also determined moderation of baseline memory difficulty on postintervention sleep and vice versa. Path modeling assessed the mediating effects of changes in memory difficulty on YOCAS©® changes in sleep and vice versa.
Results:
YOCAS©® significantly reduced memory difficulty at postintervention compared with SC (mean change: yoga=-0.60; SC=-0.16; P<.05). Baseline memory difficulty did not moderate the effects of postintervention sleep quality in YOCAS©® compared with SC. Baseline sleep quality did moderate the effects of postintervention memory difficulty in YOCAS©® compared with SC (P<.05). Changes in sleep quality was a significant mediator of reduced memory difficulty in YOCAS©® compared with SC (P<.05); however, changes in memory difficulty did not significantly mediate improved sleep quality in YOCAS©® compared with SC.
Conclusions:
In this large nationwide trial, YOCAS©® yoga significantly reduced patient-reported memory difficulty in cancer survivors.
Grit, passion and perseverance for long-term goals, is strongly related to success in goal attainment even under challenging circumstances. We investigated how grit relates to three aspects of well-being: psychological well-being (PWB), satisfaction with life, and harmony in life. This relationship is approached through organismic valuing theory, which proposes that people are naturally motivated to grow towards their highest potential; grit is proposed as being akin to such growth motivation. In two studies (Study 1 with 196 university students, and Study 2 with 396 non-students), direct and indirect (mediating) effects between grit and well-being were investigated. Sense of coherence (SOC) and authenticity were used as mediators, and gender as a moderator. Grit was positively related to all well-being factors, and SOC and authenticity were significant mediators (complementary for PWB and indirect-only for satisfaction with life and harmony in life). This suggests that grittiness in goal pursuits requires both a sense that the world is coherent and an authentic connection with the self in order for it to fully benefit well-being. No gender moderation was found.
The role of psychosocial work stress as a risk factor for chronic disease has been the subject of considerable debate. Many researchers argue in support of a causal connection while others remain skeptical and have argued that the effect on specific health conditions is either negligible or confounded. This review of evidence from over 600,000 men and women from 27 cohort studies in Europe, the USA and Japan suggests that work stressors, such as job strain and long working hours, are associated with a moderately elevated risk of incident coronary heart disease and stroke. The excess risk for exposed individuals is 10-40 % compared with those free of such stressors. Differences between men and women, younger versus older employees and workers from different socioeconomic backgrounds appear to be small, indicating that the association is robust. Meta-analyses of a wider range of health outcomes show additionally an association between work stress and type 2 diabetes, though not with common cancers or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, suggesting outcome specificity. Few studies have addressed whether mitigation of work stressors would reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. In view of the limited interventional evidence on benefits, harms and cost-effectiveness, definitive recommendations have not been made (e.g. by the US Preventive Services Taskforce) for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease via workplace stress reduction. Nevertheless, governments are already launching healthy workplace campaigns, and preventing excessive work stress is a legal obligation in several countries. Promoting awareness of the link between stress and health among both employers and workers is an important component of workplace health promotion.
During recent decades numerous yoga-based practices (YBP) have emerged in the West, with their aims ranging from fitness gains to therapeutic benefits and spiritual development. Yoga is also beginning to spark growing interest within the scientific community, and yoga-based interventions have been associated with measureable changes in physiological parameters, perceived emotional states, and cognitive functioning. YBP typically involve a combination of postures or movement sequences, conscious regulation of the breath, and various techniques to improve attentional focus. However, so far little if any research has attempted to deconstruct the role of these different component parts in order to better understand their respective contribution to the effects of YBP. A clear operational definition of yoga-based therapeutic interventions for scientific purposes, as well as a comprehensive theoretical framework from which testable hypotheses can be formulated, is therefore needed. Here we propose such a framework, and outline the bottom-up neurophysiological and top-down neurocognitive mechanisms hypothesized to be at play in YBP.
Objective: Depression and burnout are two psychopathological labels that have been subject to an extensive discussion over the last decades. The crucial question is whether they can be seen as conceptually equal or as two distinct syndromes. One argument for the distinction is that depression impacts on the whole life of a suffering person whereas burnout is restricted to the job context. Depression has been shown to be affected by life stress. The more stressful life events a person experiences, the more he or she is susceptible for developing a depression. As there is the widespread but controversial opinion that burnout is a prodromal syndrome of depression, the present study examined whether the number of stressful life events is also associated with an increased risk for burnout.
Methods: N = 755 healthy participants and N = 397 depressed patients completed the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI II) and reported the extent of experienced life stress.
Results: A significantly closer relation between depression and life stress than between burnout and life stress was found in the healthy (z = 3.01, p = .003) as well as in the depressed sample (z = 3.41, p = .001). This finding was supported in both samples by means of a path analytic approach where the associations between life stress, burnout, and depression were controlled for possible mediator and moderator effects, also considering the influence of age.
Conclusion: By considering the influence of life stress it could be demonstrated that depression and burnout are not identical although they share substantial phenotypic variance (r = .46–.61). Most important, the trivariate associations are the same in a representative employee sample and in an inpatient clinical sample suggesting the same underlying mechanisms covering the whole range from normal behavior to psychopathology. However, only longitudinal data can show if burnout necessarily turns into depression with the consequence that the burnout – life stress association approaches the depression – life stress association over time.
Yoga can be an effective intervention for physical and psychological symptoms and decreased ability to cope with physical, emotional, vocational, or academic stress. One group of individuals challenged regarding adequate self-care in the face of stress are personnel in university training programs for helping professions (e.g., psychology, nursing, nutrition). This feasibility study explored engagement in and effectiveness of a systematic 10-week yoga program aimed at university faculty, staff, and students. The intervention consisted of 10 weekly 90-minute sessions that were structured to include conceptual grounding, breathing, postures, and meditation. Weekly class outlines were made available to students for home practice. Participants signed informed consents, liability waivers, and health screenings. Self-reports of home practice, barriers to practice, perceived stress, and stress symptoms were used to evaluate whether the intervention was successful in engaging participants and reducing stress-related symptoms. Engagement was demonstrated by study adherence in the first 10-week series (88%; 44 of 50 enrolled), as well as re-enrollment for at least one additional 10-week series (64%; 28 of 44). Intervention success was demonstrated through repeated measure s ANOVAs of 44 participants' data, which showed significant improvement after a single 10-week series in perceived stress, as well as self-reported psychological, behavioral, and physical symptoms of stress. The study demonstrates feasibility of a yoga intervention in an academic setting and provides preliminary evidence for efficacy in stress reduction. It also supplies 10 detailed session protocols for intervention replication.
This is the first book to demonstrate how to use the multilevel and longitudinal modeling techniques available in IBM SPSS Version 18. The authors tap the power of SPSS's Mixed Models routine to provide an elegant and accessible approach to these models. Readers who have learned statistics using this software will no longer have to adapt to a new program to conduct quality multilevel and longitudinal analyses. Annotated screen shots with all of the key output provide readers with a step-by-step understanding of each technique as they are shown how to navigate through the program. Diagnostic tools, data management issues, and related graphics are introduced throughout. SPSS commands show the flow of the menu structure and how to facilitate model building. Annotated syntax is also available for those who prefer this approach. Most chapters feature an extended example illustrating the logic of model development. These examples show readers the context and rationale of the research questions and the steps around which the analyses are structured. The data used in the text and syntax examples are available at http://www.psypress.com/multilevel-modeling-techniques/.
Introduction:
The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence, patterns, and predictors of yoga use in the U.S. general population.
Methods:
Using cross-sectional data from the 2012 National Health Interview Survey Family Core, Sample Adult Core, and Adult Complementary and Alternative Medicine questionnaires (N=34,525), weighted frequencies for lifetime and 12-month prevalence of yoga use and patterns of yoga practice were analyzed. Using logistic regression analyses, sociodemographic predictors of lifetime yoga use were analyzed. Analyses were conducted in 2015.
Results:
Lifetime and 12-month prevalence of yoga use were 13.2% and 8.9%, respectively. Compared with nonpractitioners, lifetime yoga practitioners were more likely female, younger, non-Hispanic white, college educated, higher earners, living in the West, and of better health status. Among those who had practiced in the past 12 months, 51.2% attended yoga classes, 89.9% used breathing exercises, and 54.9% used meditation. Yoga was practiced for general wellness or disease prevention (78.4%), to improve energy (66.1%), or to improve immune function (49.7%). Back pain (19.7%), stress (6.4%), and arthritis (6.4%) were the main specific health problems for which people practiced yoga.
Conclusions:
About 31 million U.S. adults have ever used yoga, and about 21 million practiced yoga in the past 12 months. Disease prevention and back pain relief were the most important health reasons for yoga practice. Yoga practice is associated with age, gender, ethnicity, SES, and health status.