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A Randomized Controlled Trial of Mindfulness Versus Yoga: Effects on Depression and/or Anxiety in College Students
Identifier
023449
Type of Spiritual Experience
Background
A description of the experience
J Am Psychiatr Nurses Assoc. 2016 Nov;22(6):483-497. Epub 2016 Aug 26.
A Randomized Controlled Trial of Mindfulness Versus Yoga: Effects on Depression and/or Anxiety in College Students.
Falsafi N1.
- 1Nasrin Falsafi, PhD, RN, PMHCNS-BC, AHN-BC, University of North Carolina Wilmington, NC, USA Nfalsafi@aol.com.
BACKGROUND:
Depression and anxiety disorders are two of the most common mental disorders in the United States. These disorders are prevalent among college students.
OBJECTIVE:
The main objective of this study is to compare the effectiveness of two different types of intervention practices (mindfulness vs. yoga) and a noninterventional control group in mitigating the effects of depression and/or anxiety in college students.
METHOD:
A sample of 90 students (both genders) over age 18 who had a diagnosis of anxiety and/or depression was recruited from 11,500 undergraduate college students in a mid-size university. The study's design included stratified-randomized controlled repeated measures with three groups: a mindfulness intervention group, a yoga-only intervention group, and a noninterventional group. Participants were randomly assigned to the aforementioned three groups. Participants in the intervention groups received an 8-week training either in mindfulness or yoga. Depressive, anxiety, stress symptoms, self-compassion, and mindfulness were measured at baseline, Week 4, Week 8, and Week 12.
RESULTS:
Depressive, anxiety, and stress symptoms decreased significantly (p < .01) from baseline to follow-up conditions in both the mindfulness and yoga intervention groups. The changes in mindfulness scores were also significant in both groups. However, the changes in self-compassion scores were significant only in the mindfulness intervention group. No significant changes in the control group were demonstrated.
CONCLUSIONS:
The findings from this study can provide useful information to nurses and other health care providers. This study may have implications for a cost-effective treatment for depression and anxiety.
© The Author(s) 2016.
KEYWORDS:
anxiety; college students; depression; mindfulness; yoga
PMID:
27566622