Yoga and Mindfulness as a Tool for Influencing Affectivity, Anxiety, Mental Health, and Stress among Healthcare Workers: Results of a Single-Arm Clinical Trial

Abstract

Mindfulness-based interventions have emerged as unique approaches for addressing a range of clinical and subclinical difficulties such as stress, chronic pain, anxiety, or recurrent depression. Moreover, there is strong evidence about the positive effects of yoga practice on stress management and prevention of burnout among healthcare workers. The aim of this study was to conduct a single-arm clinical trial to assess the effectiveness of an intervention based on mindfulness-based stress reduction and yoga in improving healthcare workers' quality of life. Healthcare workers of two hospitals in Rome were enrolled in a 4-week yoga and mindfulness course. Four questionnaires were administered at different times (Short Form-12 (SF-12), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) Y1 and Y2, and Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS)) to evaluate the efficacy of the intervention. Forty participants took part to the study (83.3 %). The Mental Composite Score-12, that is part of the quality of life assessment, passed from a median of 43.5 preintervention to 48.1 postintervention (p = 0.041), and the negative affect passed from a score of 16 in the preintervention to 10 in the postintervention (p < 0.001). Both the forms of the STAI questionnaires showed a decrease after the intervention. Yoga and mindfulness administered together seem to be effective to reduce stress and anxiety in healthcare workers, providing them with more consciousness and ability to manage work stressful demands.anxiety, or recurrent depression [1-3]. Mindfulness can be described as a moment-to-moment awareness that is cultivated by purposefully paying attention to the present experience with a nonjudgmental attitude. It can be implemented through structured programs, including group and individual mental training, and is generally considered to entail the two core components of attention and acceptance [4]. More in details, mindfulness consists of formal meditation exercises (e.g., paying attention to the body, lying on the ground, or walking slowly with a sense of awareness of one's surroundings) as well as informal exercises (e.g., paying full attention to what one is doing or experiencing at a certain moment) [5]. Moreover, adaptive changes in brain functioning and structure (functional and neural plasticity) related to mindfulness training have been reported in several neuroscientific studies [6,7]. MBIs were initially developed for clinical contexts, but several studies have demonstrated that these interventions improve cognitive performance and emotional reactivity also in nonclinical populations [8,9]. Other studies have shown the effectiveness of MBIs for stress reduction and the enhancement of well-being within the workplace setting [10,11]. Finally, several cross-sectional studies provide indirect evidence that regular mindfulness practice may counteract cognitive ageing, which is indicated by preserved performance in various cognitive tasks as well as preserved neural tissue in older meditators compared to age-matched individuals [12,13]....

Impact of a Yogic Breathing Technique on the Well-Being of Healthcare Professionals During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Recent studies that have examined the effects of various yoga based interventions on different HCPs populations have demonstrated similar improvements. 12 – 15 …”

Mindfulness and Shinrin-Yoku: Potential for Physiological and Psychological Interventions during Uncertain Times

“…Mental health interventions are to be actively available at all times and keenly recognized during and after unstable global catastrophes. Mindfulness practice has demonstrated significant positive effects on mental health concerns [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 ] while Shinrin-yoku (SY), translated as forest bathing has also demonstrated relaxing and healing effects. When evaluating these two modalities together, would there be a significant effect on emotional wellbeing?…”

“…Health care workers and college students are particularly vulnerable to the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and mindfulness practices have demonstrated positive mitigation of these concerns [ 10 ]. Healthcare professionals who practice mindfulness have significant positive effects regarding stress, anxiety, burnout, depression, and psychological distress [ 11 , 12 , 13 ]. All of these stressors have a negative effect on the provision of patient care, which is of particular importance at this time, with stress, anxiety, and fear so prevalent in all aspects of patients’ lives during this pandemic.…”

Fear of COVID-19 and Mental Health: The Role of Mindfulness in During Time of Crisis

“…Thus, individuals with high levels of mindfulness are less likely to be overwhelmed by the distressing feelings such as depression (e.g., Alzahrani et al, 2020;Barnes& Lynn, 2010;Carmody & Baer, 2008;Fisak & Von Lehe, 2012;Royuela-Colomer & Calvete, 2016) and anxiety (MacDonald & Olsen, 2020;Singh et al, 2020). In support, an immense number of studies documented that mindfulness programs decreased individuals' levels of depression (Zemestani&Nikoo, 2019) and anxiety symptoms (e.g., La Torre et al, 2020).…”