The Effectiveness of Yoga Therapy in Reducing Anxiety, Stress and Depression in Women with Multiple Sclerosis

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a progressive chronic neurologic disorderwhich topically causes the destruction and inflammation of the myelin sheath in thebrain and the spinal cord. It also affects the patient s emotions and can be treatedusing complementary medicine.Objectives: The present study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of yogatherapy in reducing anxiety, stress and depression in MS patients.Materials and Methods: The present experimental case-control study wasconducted using a pretest-posttest approach. The statistical population comprisedfemale MS patients in Rasht, Iran in 2016, 30 of whom were randomly assigned tothe control and experimental groups. The experimental group underwent yogatherapy for three months. The two groups completed the depression anxiety stressscale (DASS-21). All the data obtained were analyzed in SPSS-21. p<0.05 was set asthe level of statistical significance.Results: The repeated measures ANOVA showed that yoga therapy significantlyreduces anxiety, stress and depression in MS patients (p<0.05 for all).Conclusion: The results of the present study revealed that yoga therapy can bewidely used as an effective and efficient method to improve the symptoms of anxiety,stress and depression in MS patients. This method can prevent the increasingdebilitation in MS patients and help them improve their mood and overcome theiranxiety.

The Effectiveness of Yoga Therapy in Reducing Anxiety, Stress and Depression in Women with Multiple Sclerosis Keywords:

Multiple Sclerosis , Yoga , Anxiety , Depression