Trauma Adapted Yoga as an Adjunct to Psychiatric Treatment on an Adolescent Inpatient Unit

Abstract

Purpose

Trauma-adapted yoga (TAY) is a yoga adaptation developed for trauma-exposed populations that emphasizes autonomy and targets nervous system regulation. This study evaluates TAY’s impact on distress and psychiatric symptoms over the course of a psychiatric hospitalization, building on the results of a prior feasibility study that suggested TAY reduced participants’ anxiety and emotional pain immediately following group sessions.

Methods

This is a retrospective study. Adolescents voluntarily joined either a yoga or non-yoga (control) group. TAY was offered twice weekly alongside standard care. The Youth Outcome Questionnaire 2.0 was administered at admission and discharge to measure patient distress and assess change over the course of hospitalization. Participants also completed ratings of anxiety, emotional pain, and physical pain pre-and-post-yoga sessions.

Results

Over 27 weeks, 129 adolescents participated with 112 opting into the yoga group. Participants were predominantly female, white, and non-Hispanic. Major Depressive Disorder was the most common discharge diagnosis; 71% of participants reported trauma histories. Yoga participation significantly reduced Y-OQ scores whereas controls had no significant reductions over the course of hospitalization.

Conclusion

Findings show TAY practice during psychiatric hospitalization may reduce overall distress and imply a need for future inpatient standard programming and research.

Plain Language Summary

Adolescents admitted to psychiatric units can struggle with a variety of mental health concerns including depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The current standard for psychiatric treatment consists of therapy and medication. However, there is an evolving interest in alternative modalities that support patients holistically. One increasingly popular alternative is yoga, a practice research suggests improves physical activity as well as mental and emotional well-being. Yoga is unique when used as an adjunct to medicine as its adaptability promotes accessibility for adolescents of all backgrounds and abilities. This study looked at an alternative form of yoga known as trauma-adapted yoga (TAY), designed specifically for people who have experienced trauma. Unlike traditional yoga, TAY avoids things like instructors touching participants to correct poses or language that can sound controlling; instead, it promotes safety, participant choice, and body awareness. Over 27 weeks, 129 adolescents aged 12–18 admitted to an inpatient psychiatric unit were offered the choice to participate in yoga in addition to their usual care. TAY sessions were led by trained clinicians twice a week and patients provided feedback on how they felt before and after yoga. Most chose to take part in yoga and said they felt less emotional pain, as well as less distress and anxiety. Participation in TAY demonstrated significant reductions in overall distress, anxiety, and emotional pain over the course of hospitalization. The findings suggest that participating in TAY has potential to lessen adolescent patients' distress and anxiety while hospitalized on a psychiatric unit. This study is one of few, but its findings and growing interest in holistic methods of care encourage more research to be done on the effectiveness of TAY as a treatment resource within psychiatry.