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Effects of Yoga on Patients in an Adolescent Mental Health Hospital and the Relationship Between Those Effects and the Patients' Sensory‐Processing Patterns
Author(s) -
Re Pamela,
McConnell John W.,
Reidinger Gloria,
Schweit Ronnie,
Hendron Angela
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of child and adolescent psychiatric nursing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.331
H-Index - 35
eISSN - 1744-6171
pISSN - 1073-6077
DOI - 10.1111/jcap.12090
Subject(s) - distress , medicine , intervention (counseling) , sensory processing , mental health , population , clinical psychology , psychiatry , sensory system , psychology , environmental health , cognitive psychology
Problem This study investigated the effects of yoga as a sensory regulation tool in reducing adolescent distress in an acute care psychiatric hospital. Methods This was a descriptive, correlational pre‐intervention/post‐intervention design conducted in a mental health hospital over 5 months from mid‐ J anuary to mid‐ J une 2012. The population consisted of a convenience sample of 75 adolescent mental health unit inpatients and partial‐hospitalization patients 12–18 years of age who participated in two or more yoga sessions. Patient charts provided D iagnostic and S tatistical M anual of M ental D isorders‐ IV A xes I ‐ V diagnosis, gender, and age. Dependent variables were pulse and S ubjective U nits of D isturbance S cale scores, which were recorded before and after each yoga class. The A dult/ A dolescent S ensory P rofile provided a measure of patient sensory‐processing preference levels that were related to the pulse and S ubjective U nits of D isturbance S cale results. Findings Yoga sessions significantly improved patient pulse and self‐reported distress ratings regardless of gender or sensory profile levels. Conclusions This article contributes to research on the therapeutic effects of yoga as a sensory regulation intervention in the treatment of psychiatrically hospitalized adolescents. Yoga has the potential to help adolescents in an acute care psychiatric hospital learn to soothe themselves, to regulate their emotions, and to find relief from emotional distress while hospitalized.