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Efficacy of yoga for posttraumatic stress disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Psychiatry research
October 1, 2024
Seyed Aria Nejadghaderi et al. (5 authors)
Systematic ReviewJournal ArticleMeta-AnalysisReviewHuman Study
Study Details

Study Goal

The researchers aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of yoga interventions for reducing PTSD symptoms and related comorbidities like depression.

Results Summary

Yoga significantly improved self-reported PTSD and depression symptoms compared to control interventions, though clinician-reported PTSD symptoms did not show improvement. No serious adverse events were reported, and the intervention was deemed safe.

Population

Adult participants with PTSD.

Effective Dosage

Not specified.

Duration

Not specified.

Interactions

None mentioned.

Extracted Claims (5)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
yoga interventions
decrease
self-report PTSD
adult participants with PTSD
standardized mean difference [SMD]: -0.51; 95 % confidence interval [CI]: -0.68, -0.35
significantly improved
#1
yoga interventions
decrease
immediate depression symptoms
adult participants with PTSD
standardized mean difference [SMD]: -0.39; 95 % confidence interval [CI]: -0.56, -0.22
significantly improved
#2
yoga interventions
decrease
long-term depression symptoms
adult participants with PTSD
standardized mean difference [SMD]: -0.44; 95 % confidence interval [CI]: -0.74, -0.13
significantly improved
#3
yoga interventions
no change
PTSD symptoms
adult participants with PTSD
-
were not associated with improved
#4
yoga interventions
no change
serious adverse events
adult participants with PTSD
-
None were indicated
#5
Abstract

Yoga is an increasingly popular complementary intervention to reduce posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and related comorbidities, but its safety and treatment efficacy are not firmly established. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of existing randomized control trials (RCTs) of yoga interventions for PTSD and related secondary outcomes (e.g., depression). Initial search results found over 668 potential papers. Twenty met inclusion criteria (e.g., RCTs on adult participants with PTSD that evaluated safety or efficacy outcomes). Meta-analysis indicated that, compared to control interventions, participation in yoga interventions significantly improved self-report PTSD (standardized mean difference [SMD]: -0.51; 95 % confidence interval [CI]: -0.68, -0.35) and immediate (SMD: -0.39; 95 % CI: -0.56, -0.22) and long-term (SMD: -0.44; 95 % CI: -0.74, -0.13) depression symptoms. However, using clinician-reported assessments, yoga interventions were not associated with improved PTSD symptoms. Type of yoga differentially predicted outcomes. Sensitivity analysis showed consistent effect sizes when omitting each study from main analyses. Six studies reported whether any serious adverse events occurred. None were indicated. No publication bias was found, although individual intervention studies tended to be high in bias. Results suggest yoga is likely a safe and effective complementary intervention for reducing PTSD and depressive symptoms in individuals with PTSD. More rigorous RCTs are warranted.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
YogaHumansStress Disorders, Post-TraumaticRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicTreatment OutcomeDepression
Study Links
Quality Scores
Safety90
Efficacy75/10
Quality85/10
Citation Metrics
Total Citations2
Citations/Year2.0
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.50
Weight Score2.80
Normalized Score0.83
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