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THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON PERCEIVED ANXIETY, DEPRESSION AND SALIVARY CORTISOL LEVELS IN YOUNG WOMEN

LC Niehaus

Abstract

Lillian Caryl Niehaus. Elon University, ELON, NC.

THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON PERCEIVED ANXIETY, DEPRESSION AND SALIVARY CORTISOL LEVELS IN YOUNG WOMEN L. Niehaus, T.A. Madzima. Elon University, Elon, NC, 27244. BACKGROUND: Among some of the interventions that have been plausible for alleviating depression and anxiety, non-pharmacological interventions such as exercise, particularly exercise that focuses on mindfulness such as yoga could be impactful. Previous research has shown that the short-term practice of yoga can help alleviate both physiological and psychological distress and improve overall quality of life. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to examine the physiological and psychological effects that two 60-minute yoga classes have on women aged 18-30 years old. One of the yoga sessions, however, will go beyond a standard yoga class that focuses primarily on giving pose-to-pose ques. This alternative yoga group session (AYOGA) will integrate mindfulness and positive words of affirmation into the class. METHODS: This study is a randomized, cross-over design with 30 female participants aged 18-30 years old. During the course of this three-week study, participants are randomly assigned to one of three conditions: a standard yoga session (SYOGA), an AYOGA with a mindfulness focus, and a control session of no exercise intervention (CON). Participants are being asked to provide saliva samples to obtain an objective measure of cortisol levels before and after each yoga class. Participants are also asked to complete four questionnaires: The Beck Depression Index (BDI), Generalized Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire (GAD7), the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE), and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSE) to understand participants’ levels of depression, anxiety, and general self-perception before and after each yoga session. Participants are only asked to provide one saliva sample and one set of the four questionnaires during the control session. ANTICIPATED RESULTS: It is anticipated that AYOGA will display the lowest levels of anxiety and depression. In addition, we hypothesize that salivary cortisol levels will decrease to a greater extent after the classes in both SYOGA and AYOGA as compared to CON with AYOGA displaying the greatest decrease overall. FUNDING: A grant of $890 has been provided by Elon University’s Summer Undergraduate Research Program.

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