Yoga for Veterans with PTSD: Intervention Feasibility, Changes in PTSD Symptom Severity, and Psychological and Physiological Health-Related Fitness Outcomes
Author: Rachel E Bollaert1, Meghan M Bennett2, Kaley E Davis2, Cecilia J Hillard3, Jeffrey Whittle4, Zeno Franco5, Shayne Broadwell6, Jacklynn Fitzgerald2
Affiliation:
1 Program in Exercise Science, Department of Physical Therapy, Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisc.
2 Department of Psychology, Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisc.
3 Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.
4 Division of Medicine, Zablocki Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Milwaukee, Wisc.
5 Department of Family and Community Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.
6 Independent yoga instructor.
Conference/Journal: Int J Yoga Therap
Date published: 2024 Sep 1
Other:
Volume ID: 34 , Issue ID: 2024 , Pages: Article 9 , Special Notes: doi: 10.17761/2024-D-23-00082. , Word Count: 258
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a burdensome disorder associated with lower quality of life and increased morbidity and mortality. Veterans are particularly at risk for PTSD resulting from experiencing traumatic events during military service. Current treatments for PTSD often fail to remediate symptoms and are associated with high dropout rates; therefore, complementary and integrative health approaches, such as yoga, are being considered to treat PTSD-related symptoms. The present study investigated the feasibility of a 12-week, 1-hour/week, in-person, trauma-informed mindful resilience yoga intervention for improving PTSD symptom severity and secondary psychological outcomes (e.g., physical and mental health, sleep, mindfulness, and self-efficacy), physiological health-related fitness outcomes (e.g., body composition and muscular strength), and physical activity outcomes (e.g., accelerometry) in a sample of veterans with PTSD. Results demonstrated the intervention to be feasible, with 12 participants (9 male, 3 female; mean age 50.3) completing the program (10 participants completed ≥ 75% of the 12 sessions). Statistically significant improvement was demonstrated in the "nonjudging of inner experience" aspect of mindfulness (p = 0.005, d = 1.280). Although not considered statistically significant (p > 0.008), the majority of outcomes demonstrated trending improvement from pre- to postintervention, with small to large Cohen's d effect sizes. The novelty of this study is represented by the trending improvements in physiological health-related fitness outcomes, with lean mass and handgrip strength demonstrating small effect sizes (d = 0.243 and d = 0.267, respectively). Our results extend the existing literature on the feasibility and potential effectiveness of yoga as a complementary or integrative therapy for PTSD in the veteran population.
Keywords: fitness; posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD); veterans; yoga.
PMID: 39232247 DOI: 10.17761/2024-D-23-00082
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