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The investigators performed a randomised controlled trial with 202 healthy university students in the Oslo area, with 50:50 in a yoga intervention group and a waitlist control group. Measures included symptoms of depression and anxiety, sleep problems, heart rate variability (HRV), well-being and mindfulness at week 0 (baseline), week 12 (post-intervention) and week 24 (follow-up).
Universities around the world are facing an epidemic of mental health problems among their students. The problem is truly a public health issue, affecting many and with serious consequences. Moreover, the global burden of disease-agenda calls for effective interventions with lasting effects that have the potential to improve the mental health of young adults. In this study the investigators aimed to determine whether yoga, a popular and widely available mind-body practice, can improve student mental health.
The participants were randomly assigned to a yoga group or waitlist control group in a 1:1 ratio by a simple online randomisation program. The intervention group was offered 24 yoga sessions over 12 weeks. Measurements were taken at week 0 (baseline), week 12 (post-intervention), and week 24 (follow-up). The primary outcome was psychological distress assessed by the HSCL-25 questionnaire. Analysis was performed based on the intention to treat-principle.
The methods were laid out in a protocol, previously published on the website of the study. (available at http://yogastudy.tilda.ws/). The planned analyses were very straightforward and included a description of the study participants, and simple analyses of each of the a priori selected outcome measures. We have not included or excluded any variables post-hoc.
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| Label | Type | Description | Intervention Names |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intervention group | Experimental | The intervention group received a yoga course for 12 weeks, two times a week. Each yoga class was 1.25 hr in duration. |
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| Control group waitlist | Active Comparator | The control group were on a waitlist during the period of measurements, and received the same yoga course after all measurements had been completed. |
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| Name | Type | Description | Arm Group Labels | Other Names |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yoga group | Behavioral | The intervention group received yoga 2 times a week for 12 weeks (á 1.25 hr). |
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| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Change in Psychological Distress | Measured with the Hopkins Symptom Checklist 25 (HSCL-25) questionnaire. Consists of 25 items on symptoms of depression and anxiety, each rated on a 1 (not at all) to 4 (very much) scale. Total scores range from 1 to 4, a higher score indicating more psychological distress. | Week 0 (baseline), week 12 (post-intervention) and week 24 (follow-up) |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Change in Heart Rate Variability (HRV) | Measured with nocturnal RMSSD (root mean square of successive differences), which is a validated measure of activity in the parasympathetic part of the autonomic nervous system. In general, an increase in RMSSD is associated with increased parasympathetic system activity and less distress. | Week 0 (baseline) and week 12 (post-intervention) |
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Inclusion Criteria:
Exclusion Criteria:
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| Name | Affiliation | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Tiril Elstad, MA (hon) | University of Oslo | Principal Investigator |
| Facility | Status | City | State | ZIP | Country | Contacts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Oslo | Oslo | Norway |
| PubMed Identifier | Type | Citation | Retractions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 34040886 | Derived | Elstad T, Ulleberg P, Klonteig S, Hisdal J, Dyrdal GM, Bjorndal A. The effects of yoga on student mental health: a randomised controlled trial. Health Psychol Behav Med. 2020 Nov 11;8(1):573-586. doi: 10.1080/21642850.2020.1843466. |
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| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D000092862 | Psychological Well-Being |
| D003863 | Depression |
| D001008 | Anxiety Disorders |
| D020447 | Parasomnias |
| D007319 | Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders |
| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D010549 | Personal Satisfaction |
| D001519 | Behavior |
| D001526 | Behavioral Symptoms |
| D001523 | Mental Disorders |
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Randomisation by a simple online program.
| yoga course | Behavioral | yoga course |
|
| Change in Mental Well-being | Measured with the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (WEMWBS), a 14-item Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (WEMWBS). This scale has five response categories (from "not at all" to "all the time") that are added together to produce a total score ranging from 14 to 70. Higher scores indicate higher levels of mental well-being. | Week 0 (baseline), week 12 (post-intervention) and week 24 (follow-up). |
| Change in Life Satisfaction | Measured with the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS), a 5-item questionnaire. Items are scored on a 1- to 7-point Likert scale. The total score is computed by adding all response values (ranging from 5 to 35), with higher scores indicating higher satisfaction. | week 0 (baseline), week 12 (post-intervention) and week 24 (follow-up). |
| Change in Mindfulness | Mindful Attention Awareness Scale, MAAS, a 15-item scale. The total score was computed by adding the score value on all individual items, producing a total score ranging from 15 to 75, with higher scores indicating higher levels of mindfulness. | Week 0 (baseline), week 12 (post-intervention) and week 24 (follow-up). |
| Change in Sleep Problems | The investigators used the Bergen Insomnia Scale (BIS), a 6-item scale. Scores from 0 (no bad nights during the course of a week) to 7 (all nights) give a total score ranging from 0 to 42 (higher scores indicating more troubled sleep and daytime tiredness). | Week 0 (baseline), week 12 (post-intervention) and week 24 (follow-up). |
| D012893 |
| Sleep Wake Disorders |
| D009422 | Nervous System Diseases |
| D020919 | Sleep Disorders, Intrinsic |
| D020920 | Dyssomnias |