title: Yoga for Adult Women with Chronic PTSD: A Long-Term Follow-Up Study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Yoga-the integrative practice of physical postures and movement, breath exercises, and mindfulness-may serve as a useful adjunctive component of trauma-focused treatment to build skills in tolerating and modulating physiologic and affective states that have become dysregulated by trauma exposure. A previous randomized controlled study was carried out among 60 women with chronic, treatment-resistant post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and associated mental health problems stemming from prolonged or multiple trauma exposures. After 10 sessions of yoga, participants exhibited statistically significant decreases in PTSD symptom severity and greater likelihood of loss of PTSD diagnosis, significant decreases in engagement in negative tension reduction activities (e.g., self-injury), and greater reductions in dissociative and depressive symptoms when compared with the control (a seminar in women's health). The current study is a long-term follow-up assessment of participants who completed this randomized controlled trial.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants from the randomized controlled trial were invited to participate in long-term follow-up assessments approximately 1.5 years after study completion to assess whether the initial intervention and/or yoga practice after treatment was associated with additional changes. Forty-nine women completed the long-term follow-up interviews. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to examine whether treatment group status in the original study and frequency of yoga practice after the study predicted greater changes in symptoms and PTSD diagnosis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Group assignment in the original randomized study was not a significant predictor of longer-term outcomes. However, frequency of continuing yoga practice significantly predicted greater decreases in PTSD symptom severity and depression symptom severity, as well as a greater likelihood of a loss of PTSD diagnosis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Yoga appears to be a useful treatment modality; the greatest long-term benefits are derived from more frequent yoga practice.
authors: 1 The Trauma Center at Justice Resource Institute , Brookline, MA.|2 Tufts University Counseling and Mental Health Services , Medford, MA.
authors: Alison
authors: A
authors: Rhodes
authors: 1 The Trauma Center at Justice Resource Institute , Brookline, MA.
authors: Joseph
authors: J
authors: Spinazzola
authors: 1 The Trauma Center at Justice Resource Institute , Brookline, MA.
authors: Bessel
authors: B
authors: van der Kolk
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003863:Depression; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D012044:Regression Analysis; D016728:Self-Injurious Behavior; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000628:therapy*; D015013:Yoga