title: Yoga-based Psychotherapy Groups for Boys Exposed to Trauma in Urban Settings.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Children who experience abuse and neglect and are exposed to adverse life events are at risk of developing emotional and behavioral problems. They may display variable internalizing and externalizing symptoms, such as posttraumatic stress, depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, and aggression. Yoga may be able to regulate body-brain pathways that cause stress following traumatic experiences, thereby reducing adverse mental and physical sequelae.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this preliminary study is to examine changes in functioning following meetings of a yoga-based psychotherapy group (YBPG) for boys with a history of interpersonal trauma exposure.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was a prospective, intervention cohort study.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study occurred at an urban-based mental health center focusing on treatment of children exposed to interpersonal trauma in their communities and families.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were 10 boys, aged 8-12 y, who primarily were African-Americans (70%) and who had a history of trauma.
  
  
  METHODS
  The YBPG was a 12-wk, yoga-based, group therapy, integrated with mental health treatment that was trauma informed and evidence-based.
  
  
  METHODS
  Measures of attendance and interpersonal functioning-the Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale 2 (BERS-2) and patient satisfaction surveys-were collected. The pre- and post-YBPG, paired t test; Wilcoxon's signed rank test; and effect sizes were calculated to assess change in interpersonal functioning following the YBPG, as reported by the parents and children.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The BERS-2 scores yielded clinically and statistically significant mean improvements on the parents' ratings of participants' (1) Interpersonal Strength, Intrapersonal Strength, and Family Involvement scores, with mean improvements on those subscales being 1.4 (P=.007), 1.9 (P=.012), and 1.4 (P=.045) points, respectively; and (2) Strength Index scores, with a mean improvement of 8.7 (P=.004). The effect size was in the large range. In addition to significant improvements posttreatment, the parents' mean rating score of their children's functioning was closer but still lower than the children's self-reports on all subscales. The attendance rate for the YBPG was among the highest for group therapies at the center.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study provided preliminary evidence for the feasibility of YBPG as an effective intervention for boys exposed to trauma in urban settings.
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Beltran
authors.forename: Abena Nyamekye
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Brown-Elhillali
authors.forename: April Rose
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Held
authors.forename: Patrice Carlotta
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Ryce
authors.forename: Mirian Ebere
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Ofonedu
authors.forename: Daniel William
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Hoover
authors.forename: Kaitlin Mary
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Ensor
authors.forename: Harolyn Millicent Edith
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Belcher
mesh_terms: D001007:Anxiety / Q000628:therapy; D002648:Child; D003863:Depression / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011613:Psychotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000628:therapy*; D014505:Urban Population; D015013:Yoga / Q000523:psychology*