Qigong Institute

Author: Goldstein LA¹, Mehling WE², Metzler TJ³, Cohen BE⁴, Barnes DE⁵, Choucroun GJ³, Silver A³, Talbot LS⁶, Maguen S⁷, Hlavin JA³, Chesney MA⁸, Neylan TC⁷
Affiliation:
¹San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, San Francisco, CA, United States; Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, CA, United States. Electronic address: Lizabeth.Goldstein2@va.gov.
²Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA, United States; Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA, United States.
³San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, San Francisco, CA, United States; Northern California Institute for Research and Education, San Francisco, CA, United States.
⁴San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, San Francisco, CA, United States; Northern California Institute for Research and Education, San Francisco, CA, United States; Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA, United States.
⁵San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, San Francisco, CA, United States; Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, CA, United States; Northern California Institute for Research and Education, San Francisco, CA, United States; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, CA, United States.
⁶San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, San Francisco, CA, United States; Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, CA, United States.
⁷San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, San Francisco, CA, United States; Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, CA, United States; Northern California Institute for Research and Education, San Francisco, CA, United States.
⁸Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA, United States.
Conference/Journal: J Affect Disord.
Date published: 2017 Nov 4
Other: Volume ID: 227 , Pages: 345-352 , Special Notes: doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2017.11.002. [Epub ahead of print] , Word Count: 257

BACKGROUND: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is prevalent among military veterans and is associated with significant negative health outcomes. However, stigma and other barriers to care prevent many veterans from pursuing traditional mental health treatment. We developed a group-based Integrative Exercise (IE) program combining aerobic and resistance exercise, which is familiar to veterans, with mindfulness-based practices suited to veterans with PTSD. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of IE on PTSD symptom severity and quality of life, as well as assess the feasibility and acceptability of IE.

METHODS: Veterans (N = 47) were randomized to either IE or waitlist control (WL). Veterans in IE were asked to attend three 1-h group exercise sessions for 12 weeks.

RESULTS: Compared with WL, veterans randomized to IE demonstrated a greater reduction in PTSD symptom severity (d = -.90), a greater improvement in psychological quality of life (d = .53) and a smaller relative improvement in physical quality of life (d = .30) Veterans' ratings of IE indicated high feasibility and acceptability.

LIMITATIONS: The sample was relatively small and recruited from one site. The comparison condition was an inactive control.

CONCLUSIONS: This initial study suggests that IE is an innovative approach to treating veterans with symptoms of PTSD that reduces symptoms of posttraumatic stress and improves psychological quality of life. This approach to recovery may expand the reach of PTSD treatment into non-traditional settings and to veterans who may prefer a familiar activity, such as exercise, over medication or psychotherapy.

Published by Elsevier B.V.

KEYWORDS: Exercise; Mindfulness; Posttraumatic stress disorder; Quality of life; Veterans

PMID: 29145076 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2017.11.002

Qigong and Energy Medicine Database™

Veterans Group Exercise: A randomized pilot trial of an Integrative Exercise program for veterans with posttraumatic stress.