Yoga for Veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
| dc.contributor.author | Cushing, Robin E. | |
| dc.contributor.department | Public Health | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2019-05-28T20:37:05Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2019-05-28T20:37:05Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2017-05 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10125/62760 | |
| dc.subject | Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | |
| dc.subject | yoga | |
| dc.subject | mind-body therapy | |
| dc.subject | veterans | |
| dc.title | Yoga for Veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. | |
| dc.type | Thesis | |
| dcterms.abstract | Studies have determined that approximately 15% to 20% of military service members are returning from deployment with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms. The Department of Defense (DoD) and the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) have spent billions on post-9/11 veterans. However, many service members and veterans do not seek treatment due to the stigma of seeking care, side effects of treatment, or fear that a record of treatment will harm their professional military careers. These same individuals look for alternative options, such as mind-body therapies, to help in treating their PTSD symptoms. This dissertation research was comprised of three studies (papers) to address several research questions exploring the usefulness of the mind-body therapies on reducing PTSD symptoms in the military. The first study was a systematic literature review looking at the effect of mind-body therapies on combat veterans and service members suffering from PTSD (Study 1). The major finding of the systematic review was that mind-body therapies are promising therapies for reducing PTSD symptoms in veterans and service members. The second study was single-group pre-posttest study testing a military-tailored, trauma-sensitive yoga intervention with veterans suffering from PTSD (Study 2). I recruited 18 veterans with PTSD symptoms to participate in a 6-week intervention of 60-minute, weekly yoga classes. I compared their baseline and post-intervention responses on scales measuring PTSD symptoms as a primary measure and depression, anxiety, insomnia, and mindfulness as secondary measures. The participants demonstrated significant reductions in PTSD symptoms and all of the secondary measures. For Study 3, I conducted interviews with 9 veterans to explore their perceptions of the benefits and barriers to practicing a trauma-sensitive yoga. While Study 2 demonstrated that yoga can yield statistically significant improvements in wellbeing, study 3 provided me a deeper understanding of individual's perspectives of why veterans continue to practice or not practice yoga. | |
| dcterms.description | D.P.H. Thesis. University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa 2017. | |
| dcterms.language | eng | |
| dcterms.publisher | University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa | |
| dcterms.rights | All UHM dissertations and theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission from the copyright owner. | |
| dcterms.type | Text |
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