title: Yoga and massage therapy reduce prenatal depression and prematurity.
abstract: Eighty-four prenatally depressed women were randomly assigned to yoga, massage therapy or standard prenatal care control groups to determine the relative effects of yoga and massage therapy on prenatal depression and neonatal outcomes. Following 12 weeks of twice weekly yoga or massage therapy sessions (20 min each) both therapy groups versus the control group had a greater decrease on depression, anxiety and back and leg pain scales and a greater increase on a relationship scale. In addition, the yoga and massage therapy groups did not differ on neonatal outcomes including gestational age and birthweight, and those groups, in turn, had greater gestational age and birthweight than the control group.
authors.affiliation: Touch Research Institute, University of Miami School of Medicine, PO Box 016820, Miami, FL 33101, USA. tfield@med.miami.edu
authors.forename: Tiffany
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Field
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Diego
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hernandez-Reif
authors.forename: Lissette
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Medina
authors.forename: Jeannette
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Delgado
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hernandez
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D001724:Birth Weight; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008405:Massage / Q000379:methods* / Q000523:psychology; D010146:Pain / Q000523:psychology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome / Q000523:psychology; D047928:Premature Birth / Q000523:psychology*; D011295:Prenatal Care / Q000379:methods*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D015013:Yoga / Q000523:psychology*