Community Health Sciences, Fielding School of Public Health, University of California, 560 Charles E Young Drive South, Box 951772, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA. Electronic address: dgarfin@ucla.edu.
2 papers in the library · 19 citations · publishing 2024
Yoga appears to be a safe and effective complementary intervention for reducing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depressive symptoms. A systematic review and meta-analysis of 20 randomized controlled trials involving adults with PTSD found that yoga significantly improved self-reported PTSD symptoms and both immediate and long-term depression symptoms compared to control interventions. However, clinician-reported assessments did not show improvement in PTSD symptoms. No serious adverse events were reported across six studies that tracked them. The type of yoga influenced outcomes, and individual studies often had high bias, but overall results suggest yoga is likely beneficial for individuals with PTSD.
Women experiencing homelessness with trauma exposure, PTSD, and substance use disorder found mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) activities—including yoga, meditation, body scans, class discussion, and home practice—highly acceptable and feasible. Between 71% and 89% rated each activity as 'a great deal helpful.' Focus groups with 28 women at a drug treatment site yielded four themes: perceived feasibility and effectiveness of MBSR, strategies for recruitment and retention, and characteristics of the trainer. Recommendations support trauma-sensitive implementation of MBSR in community-based programs for this population.