Experiences of women who participated in a beta-test for an online-streamed yoga intervention after a stillbirth

Abstract

Background: Little is known about how to best care for mothers after stillbirth. As such, this paper will report the satisfaction and perceptions of an online yoga intervention (12-week beta test) in women after stillbirth. Methods: Participants (n=74) had a stillbirth within the last 24–months (M time since loss 9.65 ± 6.9 months). Post-intervention satisfaction surveys and interviews and dropout surveys were conducted. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze survey responses and demographic information. A phenomenological approach was used to explore and understand unique experiences of participant interviews. Data were analyzed using NVivo10. Results: Twenty-six women (M age 33.73 ± 4.38) were completers (> 3 wks of yoga), 26 (M age 31.82 ± 4.13) were non-completers (< 3 wks of yoga), and 22 (M age 32.94 ± 2.93) dropped out. Twenty completers participated in a post-intervention satisfaction survey with 75% (n=15) reporting being very satisfied or satisfied with the online yoga intervention, found it to be very enjoyable or enjoyable, and very helpful or helpful to cope with grief. Satisfaction and perceptions of the intervention in those who completed an interview (n=12) were clustered around the following themes: benefits, barriers, dislikes, satisfaction, and preferences. Of the 22 dropouts, 14 completed a dropout survey. Women withdrew from the study due to pregnancy (n=3, 21%), burden (n=3, 21%), stress (n=2, 14%), lack of time (n=2, 14%), did not enjoy (n=1, 7%), and other (n=3, 21%). Conclusion: Findings here may be used to help design future research.

An iterative design process to develop a randomized feasibility study and inform recruitment of minority women after stillbirth

“…Some women mentioned feeling less self-conscious if practicing yoga at home (i.e., would not need to go out in public to attend a class). These experiences are not different from a small sample of predominately White women who experienced stillbirth and reported that they especially enjoyed the convenience and privacy of participating in yoga at their home [27]. One participant from this study indicated that online yoga at home might be even more attractive to the ethnic minority population, especially if a social option was included such as the option of participating with a friend.…”

“…Women engaged in the online yoga videos for free. Selection criteria for the 30 yoga videos included the following: (1) videos that were used in our previous beta-testing [27] and were positively reviewed by mothers who experienced a stillbirth, (2) classes that were slower moving (i.e., beginner-based) with detailed instruction and alignment cues (i.e., safe and proper form), (3) classes that were safe for women up to 20-week gestation in the case a participant became pregnant during the intervention, and (4) videos that the research team believed would cultivate emotional regulation and self-compassion. For example, the research team considered evidence-based proposed mediators from a general population with post-traumatic stress, tone of the teacher (i.e., calming, accepting), commentary during the video (i.e., self-love, acceptance, being aware of emotions), and poses (e.g., forward fold, child’s pose, heart openers).…”

“…The videos were filmed and developed prior to phase one to be integrated into the prescription for phase two, along with the tested existing Udaya videos. The design of the newly filmed videos was based on feedback from a previous beta-test of an online yoga intervention in women after stillbirth [27] and was approved by the MS-trained yoga biomechanist and educator and the study team. These videos were filmed specific for the current study population whereas existing Udaya videos are designed for the general population.…”

“…There is a need for novel and effective approaches to address post-traumatic stress in bereaved mothers that consider the unique needs of this population. Yoga may be a feasible, effective treatment for reducing symptoms of post-traumatic stress in women who have experienced stillbirth [27]. There is evidence for the effects of yoga in improving mental health in other populations including pregnant and post-partum women [28].…”

Yoga at Every Size: A Preliminary Evaluation of a Brief Online Size-Inclusive Yoga and Body Gratitude Journaling Intervention to Enhance Positive Embodiment in Higher Weight College Women

“…Moreover, given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the cultural-shifts occurring around the acceptability of remotely-delivered programming, a web-based and scalable evidence-based intervention is increasingly relevant and critical. Even prior to the pandemic, web-based yoga programs have been found to be feasible and acceptable among various populations [e.g., ( 69 , 70 )]; however, little research has explored their effectiveness on improving body image and embodiment-related outcomes more specifically. Although there are many types of yoga practice, several yoga variations encompass mental health practices such as mindfulness (a key meditative component of yoga) and self-compassion [i.e., being non-judgmentally aware of experiences; ( 8 )].…”