2016 Theses Doctoral

Yoga and Anxiety: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Zoogman, Sarah Elizabeth

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of yoga on anxiety using meta-analytic methods, examining overall effect size, the effect size of sub-categories of dependent variables, and moderation.
A systematic search was conducted for published randomized controlled trials on yoga and anxiety on electronic databases over key terms. Reference lists of quantitative studies and literature review articles were inspected for additional articles. Once included studies were determined, outcome data were extracted and moderators were coded across studies in order to characterize differences in study sample, delivery method, and type of dependent variable. Effect size aggregation and omnibus analyses were performed, and moderator tests were conducted.
Results support the hypothesis that yoga significantly decreases anxiety symptoms, in addition to symptoms more globally (i.e., anxiety and other mental health outcomes, physical health outcomes, etc taken in aggregate). Results from sub-omnibus analysis show significant effects of the yoga intervention on biological measures, non-anxiety mental health outcomes, physical health measures, stress, mental and physical health outcomes combined, and life satisfaction. In addition, significant moderation was found by location, with highest effects appearing in Indian samples.