Effectiveness of Yoga Therapy on Somatic Complaints of Employed Women in Iran Behzadnia M.1, Ghasemian D.2, Ebrahimi S.2,* 1Student of Clinical Psychology, Department of Psychology, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Mazandaran, Iran 2Department of Psychology, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Mazandaran, Iran *Email: ebrahimi.psy81@yahoo.com
Online published on 22 October, 2013. Abstract Background This study examined the effect of yoga therapy on somatic complaints of employed women in Iran. Materials and Methods This study was semi-experimental with design of pre-test and post-test with control group. Statistical population of 823 individuals, were women working in departments of education, health care networks and hospitals of the province Mazandaran, and research sample were 50 women, who were randomly selected and randomly divided into two groups of 25, control and experimental groups. Each group in both pre-test and post-test completed the questionnaire of SCL-90R. Participants in the experimental group attended 24 sessions of 90 min Yoga (asana) and breathing (pranayama) exercises, three times a week with the help of a coach, while the control group did not receive any intervention. The data were analysed by the use of one-way of covariance analysis (ANCOVA). Results The results showed that yoga therapy was effective on reduction of somatic complaints (P=0.000). Conclusion The results of the current study revealed that yoga therapy can reduce somatic complaints in employed women and improve their mental health. Top Keywords Yoga Therapy, Somatic Complaints, Mental Health. Top |