Yogas Therapeutic Effect on Perinatal Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta Analysis

Course overview

Course Description: This course is based upon material published in Psychiatria Danubina and is available as an open-access article. In recent years, the incidence of perinatal depression in female population is very high. Perinatal depression has adverse effects on the physical and mental health of mothers and children. However, according to current researches, Yoga has been considered as an effective exercise that can help pregnant women to regulate their emotions. Thus, this review reports the effectiveness of yoga on perinatal depression. We reviewed all of the relevant RCT (Randomized Control Trial, RCT) studies published until June 2021 from the major open-access databases. 12 RCTs were selected and included in this study, and the total number of people included in the analysis in the combined study was 594. The level of depression and anxiety of participants was evaluated using detailed and recognized scale. Compared with the control group, the yoga intervention group indicates a statistically significant decrease in depression levels (SMD (Standardised Mean Difference, SMD), -2.31; 95 percent CI, -3.67 to -0.96; P=0.139) and anxiety (SMD, -4.75; 95 percent CI, -8.3 to -1.19; P=0.002). In addition, we also conducted a subgroup analysis according to the type of population. The subgroup analysis successfully reduced the level of heterogeneity and the results indicated that the difference in population types in the combined analysis leads to the higher heterogeneity. The SMD value for healthy women is -2.3 (95 percent CI, -4.83 to 0.23) and for depressed women is -9.02 (95 percent CI, -11.42 to -6.62). Finally, the meta-analysis results of the self-control group prove that yoga can reduce the depression scores (SMD, 5.23; 95 percent CI, 1.90 to 8.56; P=0.049) compared with baseline. Yoga can effectively relieve symptoms of depression and anxiety in the perinatal period, which can be used as an auxiliary treatment option clinically. This course on the relationship between yoga and perinatal depression is designed for social workers, professional counselors, psychologists, nurses, and substance abuse counselors, who do clinical work. In addition, this course is appropriate for beginning, intermediate and advanced level practitioners who wish to develop their knowledge of the relationship between yoga and perinatal depression. The course material includes a literature review of interventions and research. It may also be useful for licensed clinicians who require continuing clinical education courses for license renewal. The course is based on a journal article that includes research. It contains statistical analysis and data that some clinicians enjoy reading and others do not. A significant benefit of reading research-based articles for continuing education is they provide practitioners with the latest findings in their field. Authors: Wang, Liang, Sun Learning Objectives: This course will provide the practitioner with detailed information regarding the relationship between yoga and perinatal depression. Specifically, a professional will: Recognize characteristics of perinatal depression and its impact on physical and mental health. Describe the use of yoga as a tool to alleviate symptoms of mental disorders. Recognize the relationship between yoga and perinatal depression. Citation: Wang, G., Liang, C., & Sun, G. (2022). Yogas Therapeutic Effect on Perinatal Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Psychiatria Danubina, 34(2), 195-204. https://doi.org/10.24869/psyd.2022.195