Yoga for Stress and Mental Health

• Perceived Stress Questionnaire [ Time Frame: Weeks 0 (baseline) to 9 (post-intervention) ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  The PSQ (Levenstein et al., 1993) is a self- report measure of cognitive and emotional reactions to perceived stressful situations. The questionnaire consists of four subscales assessing (1) worries, anxious concern for the future, feelings of desperation and frustration; (2) tension, exhaustion, and lack of relaxation; (3) positive feelings of challenge, joy, energy, and security; and (4) perceived environmental demands, such as lack of time, pressure, and overload.
  
  

• Feasibility [ Time Frame: Weeks 0 (baseline) to 9 (post-intervention) ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  Feasibility and acceptability of a yoga intervention for stress-induced eating. This interview, constructed by the PI, assesses participants' perceptions of ease of participation, program likeability, and perceived benefits of the yoga program. The interview consists of 16 open-ended questions.
  
  
• Distress Tolerance [ Time Frame: Weeks 0 (baseline) to 9 (post-intervention) ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  The DTS (Simons & Gaher, 2005) is a 15-item self- report measure of physical and psychological distress tolerance.
  
  

• Depression Symptoms [ Time Frame: Weeks 0 (baseline) to 9 (post-intervention) ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  The BDI (Beck, Ward, Mendelson, Mock, & Erbaugh, 1961) is a widely used 21-item, self-report inventory that measures severity of depressive symptoms.
  
  
• Anxiety Symptoms (BAI) [ Time Frame: Weeks 0 (baseline) to 9 (post-intervention) ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  The BAI (Beck, Epstein, Brown, & Steer, 1988) is a commonly used 21-item, self-report inventory designed to measure severity of anxiety symptoms.
  
  
• Mindfulness [ Time Frame: Weeks 0 (baseline) to 9 (post-intervention) ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  Since yoga is a mindfulness based intervention, we will be looking at changes in mindfulness levels over the course of the intervention. ). The FFMQ (Baer et al., 2006) is a 39-item self-report measure of mindfulness components: observing, describing, acting with awareness, nonjudging of inner experience, and nonreactivity to inner experience.
  
  

Yoga practice appears to reduce stress and associated emotions. Specifically, yoga has been associated with significant decreases in depression, anxiety, and perceived stress. These findings underscore the promise of yoga practice for improving mental health in women prone to stress.

This study aims to examine the feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy of an eight-week Hatha Yoga intervention for improving stress and mental health. To this end, the investigators will recruit 40 women high in stress to receive an 8-week hatha yoga intervention consisting of two weekly 90-minute sessions. At baseline and at post-intervention, participants will undergo several cognitive, emotional, and behavioral assessments, followed by a relaxation time. Primary feasibility outcomes will be the time required to recruit 40 participants, the number of screen failures, participant retention and participant adherence to the study protocol. Acceptability will be evaluated with questionnaires and an interview during the final visit. Primary efficacy outcomes will be group differences in pre- to post-intervention change in perceived stress and various mental health parameters.