TY - JOUR
T1 - Yoga for veterans with PTSD
T2 - Cognitive functioning, mental health, and salivary cortisol.
AU - Zaccari, Belle
AU - Callahan, Megan L.
AU - Storzbach, Daniel
AU - McFarlane, Nancy
AU - Hudson, Rebekah
AU - Loftis, Jennifer M.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© In the public domain
PY - 2020
Y1 - 2020
N2 - Objective: Research indicates that cognitive functioning is negatively impacted by exposure to chronic stress due to overactivation of the stress response. Yoga has demonstrated benefits when practiced by individuals diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This quasi-experimental pilot study examined the impact of a yoga intervention on cognitive functioning, symptoms of PTSD, and the biological stress response in Veterans diagnosed with PTSD. Method: Cognitive functioning, self-report measures of mental health symptoms, and salivary cortisol were measured within two weeks prior to beginning and following completion of a 10-week yoga protocol. Veterans with PTSD participated in gender-specific groups of the yoga intervention. Paired t tests and correlational analyses were used to analyze quantitative data. Results: Statistically significant improvements were observed between baseline and postintervention scores on measures of response inhibition, PTSD, depression, sleep, quality of life, and subjective neurocognitive complaints. Positive correlations were found between baseline and postintervention changes in sleep and depression, and between change in cortisol output and a measure of life satisfaction. Statistically significant differences (baseline to postintervention) for other objective measures of cognitive performance and cortisol were not detected. Conclusions: Results provide preliminary support for the practice of yoga to improve cognitive functioning (response inhibition) related to symptoms of PTSD while also improving mental health symptoms, sleep, and quality of life. Positive correlations affirm the role of sleep in mood symptoms and indicate the need for further examination of the role of cortisol in life satisfaction. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved) Clinical Impact Statement—Individuals with PTSD report social, emotional, and cognitive problems related to living with this disorder. Overactivity of the stress response contributes to these problems. Research examining the therapeutic effects of yoga identifies positive changes to the stress response that are associated with improvements in daily functioning (e.g., sleep, memory, concentration). The current study offered trauma-sensitive yoga to Veterans with PTSD and found improvements in response inhibition, depression, sleep, and life satisfaction after participating in yoga. These findings add to the body of literature supporting yoga as a promising intervention for symptoms of trauma with widespread benefits to functioning.
AB - Objective: Research indicates that cognitive functioning is negatively impacted by exposure to chronic stress due to overactivation of the stress response. Yoga has demonstrated benefits when practiced by individuals diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This quasi-experimental pilot study examined the impact of a yoga intervention on cognitive functioning, symptoms of PTSD, and the biological stress response in Veterans diagnosed with PTSD. Method: Cognitive functioning, self-report measures of mental health symptoms, and salivary cortisol were measured within two weeks prior to beginning and following completion of a 10-week yoga protocol. Veterans with PTSD participated in gender-specific groups of the yoga intervention. Paired t tests and correlational analyses were used to analyze quantitative data. Results: Statistically significant improvements were observed between baseline and postintervention scores on measures of response inhibition, PTSD, depression, sleep, quality of life, and subjective neurocognitive complaints. Positive correlations were found between baseline and postintervention changes in sleep and depression, and between change in cortisol output and a measure of life satisfaction. Statistically significant differences (baseline to postintervention) for other objective measures of cognitive performance and cortisol were not detected. Conclusions: Results provide preliminary support for the practice of yoga to improve cognitive functioning (response inhibition) related to symptoms of PTSD while also improving mental health symptoms, sleep, and quality of life. Positive correlations affirm the role of sleep in mood symptoms and indicate the need for further examination of the role of cortisol in life satisfaction. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved) Clinical Impact Statement—Individuals with PTSD report social, emotional, and cognitive problems related to living with this disorder. Overactivity of the stress response contributes to these problems. Research examining the therapeutic effects of yoga identifies positive changes to the stress response that are associated with improvements in daily functioning (e.g., sleep, memory, concentration). The current study offered trauma-sensitive yoga to Veterans with PTSD and found improvements in response inhibition, depression, sleep, and life satisfaction after participating in yoga. These findings add to the body of literature supporting yoga as a promising intervention for symptoms of trauma with widespread benefits to functioning.
KW - Veterans
KW - cognitive functioning
KW - cortisol
KW - trauma
KW - trauma sensitive yoga
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U2 - 10.1037/tra0000909
DO - 10.1037/tra0000909
M3 - Article
C2 - 32772534
AN - SCOPUS:85089392369
SN - 1942-9681
VL - 12
SP - 913
EP - 917
JO - Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy
JF - Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy
IS - 8
ER -