Stress reduction through taiji: a systematic review and meta-analysis


Author: Jana Kraft1, Paula J Waibl1, Karin Meissner2,3

Affiliation: <sup>1</sup> Department of Applied Natural Sciences and Health, Programs in Health Promotion, Coburg University of Applied Sciences, Friedrich-Streib-Str. 2, Coburg, 96450, Germany.

<sup>2</sup> Department of Applied Natural Sciences and Health, Programs in Health Promotion, Coburg University of Applied Sciences, Friedrich-Streib-Str. 2, Coburg, 96450, Germany. karin.meissner@hs-coburg.de.

<sup>3</sup> Institute of Medical Psychology, Medical Faculty, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany. karin.meissner@hs-coburg.de.
Conference/Journal: BMC Complement Med Ther
Date published: 2024 Jun 3
Other:
 Volume ID: 24   ,  Issue ID: 1   ,  Pages: 210   ,  Special Notes: doi: 10.1186/s12906-024-04493-3.   ,  Word Count: 264  
    Purpose:

In light of the mounting prevalence of stress in contemporary society and the growing interest in stress reduction methods, this review investigates the potential of taiji as a viable strategy for alleviating stress.



Methods:

MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register (CENTRAL), PsycINFO, and Web of Science were searched up to April 2023 to identify randomized controlled trials of taiji. Studies in both patients and healthy populations were considered. They had to provide a measure of perceived stress and include a no treatment or placebo control group. Data were extracted by two reviewers. Pooled standardized mean differences (SMD) were calculated for perceived stress, biological stress markers, anxiety, depression, and quality of life (QoL). Meta-regression analyses were performed to identify sources of heterogeneity.



Results:

Eleven trials with a total of 1323 patients comparing taiji to no intervention met the inclusion criteria. The included studies varied strongly with regard to patient characteristics, taiji intervention, and methodological quality. The overall SMD for perceived stress was significant at -0.41 (95% confidence interval, CI, -0.63 to -0.19; I2 = 63%). Exclusion of studies with less than 100 participants yielded a diminished SMD at -0.26 (95% CI, -0.45 to -0.06). The SMD for perceived stress at follow-up was significant (-0.25, 95% CI -0.46 to -0.05). Secondary outcomes highlighted improvements in anxiety and physical QoL, while depression, mental QoL, and biological stress markers remained unchanged.



Conclusions:

Results underscore taiji's potential in mitigating perceived stress in both patients and healthy populations, paralleled by enhancements in depressive symptoms, anxiety levels, and physical QoL.



Keywords: Evidence-based practice; Mind–body exercise; Relaxation; Stress reduction; Tai Chi.



PMID: 38831412 DOI: 10.1186/s12906-024-04493-3