title: Effect of juggling therapy on anxiety disorders in female patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of juggling therapy for anxiety disorder patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Subjects were 17 female outpatients who met the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for anxiety disorders. Subjects were treated with standard psychotherapy, medication and counseling for 6 months. For the last 3 months of treatment, subjects were randomized into either a non-juggling group (n = 9) or a juggling therapy group (juggling group: n = 8). The juggling group gradually acquired juggling skills by practicing juggling beanbags (otedama in Japan) with both hands. The therapeutic effect was evaluated using scores of psychological testing (STAI: State and Trate Anxiety Inventry, POMS: Profile of Mood Status) and of ADL (FAI: Franchay Activity Index) collected before treatment, 3 months after treatment (before juggling therapy), and at the end of both treatments.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After 6 months, an analysis of variance revealed that scores on the state anxiety, trait anxiety subscales of STAI and tension-anxiety (T-A) score of POMS were significantly lower in the juggling group than in the non-juggling group (p < 0.01). Depression, anger-hostility scores of POMS were improved more than non-jugglers. In the juggling group, activity scores on the vigor subscale of POMS and FAI score were significantly higher than those in the non juggling group (p < 0.01). Other mood scores of POMS did not differ between the two groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggest that juggling therapy may be effective for the treatment of anxiety disorders.
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioral Medicine, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima City, Japan. ayana-n@m3.kufm.kagoshima-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Toshihiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakahara
authors.forename: Kazuhiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakahara
authors.forename: Miho
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Uehara
authors.forename: Ken-ichiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Koyama
authors.forename: Kouha
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Toshiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Harada
authors.forename: Daisuke
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Yasuhara
authors.forename: Hikaru
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Taguchi
authors.forename: Sinya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kojima
authors.forename: Ken-ichiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sagiyama
authors.forename: Akio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Inui