Critical Appraisal of Evidence on Yoga Intervention for PTSD Symptoms

This paper critically analyses a research paper by Jindani & Khalsa (2015) on the experiences of yoga patients with an objective of providing evidence to Tasso who has PTSD symptoms on its effectiveness.

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Template
Title page
Student Name:
HLSC122 Semester 2, 2018
Assessment 3: Critical appraisal of evidence
Word count: 1300
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Jindani, F. A., & Khalsa, G. F. S. (2015). A yoga intervention program for patients suffering
from symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder: A qualitative descriptive study. The
Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 21(7), 401-408.
Introduction
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a condition caused by traumatic events manifested in
the form of distressing flashbacks due to prior experiences (Javidi & Yadollahie, 2012). There is
the need for complementary treatment methods for PTSD symptoms due to the ineffectiveness of
the already existing interventions such as prolonged exposure therapies which end up worsening
PTSD symptoms. The alternative intervention should address the body-mind elements of PTSD
symptoms. This paper critically analyses a research paper by Jindani & Khalsa (2015) on the
experiences of yoga patients with an objective of providing evidence to Tasso who has PTSD
symptoms on its effectiveness.
Body:
PART A
Authorship
Farah A. is a Ph.D. holder and is affiliated to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in
Canada, whereas Khalsa is a BA holder and has an affiliation with the University of Toronto
Mult-Faith Centre for Spiritual Study and Practice in Canada. A Ph.D. qualification by Farah and
his association is proved that the author is an expert in mental health care and has experience in
the same. Khalsa is also a BA holder in religious studies and is experienced in the same owing to
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the affiliation. Since both authors are writing on a subject upon which they are employed; they
may be biased if the findings contradict the practice at their workplace.
Research Aim
The study aimed at assessing the testimonies of persons with posttraumatic stress disorder
(PTSD) symptoms enrolled in trauma-sensitive KY treatment in addition to evaluating the
effectiveness of yoga in treating PTSD (Jindani & Khalsa, 2015).
Widespread interventions for PTSD include extensive exposure treatments and cognitive
behavioral therapy. There is reluctance among medical practitioners to use the exposure
therapies due to the fact they worsen the symptoms leading to treatment attrition (Deacon et al.,
2013). Studies have shown that exposure treatment does not generally improve the health, social
and occupation functioning of the PTSD patients (Foa, Gillihan, & Bryant, 2013). As a result,
more focus has been placed on alternative treatments that factor in both body and mind. Yoga is
an example of this complementary treatment which encompasses psychological health and
wellbeing. As much as mind-body practices are useful in the treatment of PTSD, limited research
has examined the testimonies of those undergoing yoga treatment (Anderzén-Carlsson, Persson
Lundholm, Köhn, & Westerdahl, 2014; Cramer et al., 2013).
Research design
The study adopted a qualitative thematic analysis in exploring the experiences of patients with
PTSD signs and undergoing trauma-sensitive KY treatment. This design is most appropriate for
meeting the research aim for many reasons. Vaismoradi, Turunen and Bondas (2013) observes
that qualitative thematic analysis is most appropriate in subjects upon which little is known about
them and is thus beneficial to decision makers because it provides essential information.
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Furthermore, the approach permits the exploration of new subjects. The strategy also allows for
flexibility in the researcher's selection of theoretical framework. Vaismoradi et al. (2013)
observed that the flexibility of qualitative thematic analysis in allowing a researcher to select any
theory makes it possible to obtain more detailed information of a given phenomenon under
study.
Research methods
The study participants were selected using randomized control trials (RCT) after which interview
was conducted for seven days after the end of the RCT. Telephone interviews were used to invite
the 40 participants who completed the KY treatment sessions. Other techniques such as posters
positioned in public places, online bulletin, and commercials at social services agencies were
used for invitations. Telephone interviews best fitted the study because they are cost effective
and can reach a large population within a short time (Harvey, 2011). However, the credibility of
the information obtained is subjective depending on the individual and the immediate
environment. The use of posters was most appropriate because more information is spread in the
form of images within a short time, but it is only limited to those who can read and write. The
use of online bulletin or internet is most applicable here because it is likely to reach many and
can be customized to reach target population thus saving on research time and budget. However,
its effectiveness is limited by internet access (Lane, Armin & Gordon, 2015).
Data was collected using audio recording and analyzed using Nvivo 10 software. Audio
recording is beneficial to the study because they provide an accurate summary of the interview
since all the feedbacks are recorded as the meeting is in progress. They also increase clarity since
the researcher can rewind and listen again and again. However, this technique cannot capture
non-verbal information which might be important (Sutton & Austin, 2015).
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Results and Limitations
Three primary themes were ascertained through qualitative analysis namely new awareness, self-
observed variations, and the yoga intervention. Under the self-observed changes, findings
showed that consideration of associations between the related themes of physical, mental and
social cognizance enabled the participants to comprehend the details of personal transformation.
Six subthemes were ascertained in the theme of self-observed changes. The data under the theme
of new awareness indicated that program involvement was related to new opinions on individual
testimonies and these perceptions had improved after the commencement of the program. There
were three sub-themes under the new awareness theme. Regarding the theme of views of the
yoga intervention, the respondents gave an insight of esteemed components of the intervention
by deliberating on the subthemes which were three in total. These findings show that the
respondents identified changes in the aspects of their health and welfare, the way of life,
psychological association, and individual views in relation to the universe.
Despite the successful study findings, there were limitations to the study. The study required
some degree of intrinsic motivation to complete the yoga intervention since the subjects were
expected to attend the eight sessions and be motivated to undertake them at home. The lack of
such motivation could hamper the effective completion of the courses upon which the study was
based. Additionally, since the outcomes are based on the individual experiences of patients with
PTSD symptoms, they can be relied upon and be applied in the case of Tasso.
PART B
The information obtained from the study by Jindani and Khalsa (2015) will be much applicable
in clinical practice for various reasons. The findings provide a solution to the existing clinical
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question on the best intervention for exposure therapies that have proved to be ineffective. For
instance, the studies found out that yoga was the most appropriate treatment for PTSD because it
led to changes in the health and welfare, lifestyle, and individual views in relation to the world.
This implies that the yoga programme addressed the mind-body aspects of PTSD which the
prolonged exposure and cognitive behavioral therapies were not able to address.
The application of the research into clinical practice can, however, be barred its significant
limitations such as a small sample size which will limit its generalizability to different
populations. The study is the first, based on the knowledge of the researchers, to assess the
experiences of yoga treatment for people with PTSD symptoms. This implies that its general
application to clinical practice will be limited until further studies are carried out in different
settings to proof the outcomes
Conclusion
The prevalence of PTSD and the proven ineffectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy and
exposure treatments are indications of the need for complementary treatment approaches for
PTSD that focus on the wellbeing of both the mind and body. Yoga intervention is widely
accessible and has been proved to be an effective intervention in addressing PTSD symptoms.
The findings of this review show that yoga treatment program is effective in not only alleviating
the distresses caused by PTSD symptoms but also addresses the health and well-being,
psychological association, and personal views in relation to the universe. In other words yoga
intervention deals with the mind-body components of PTSD. Therefore, it is highly
recommended for Tasso.
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References
Anderzén-Carlsson, A., Persson Lundholm, U., Köhn, M., & Westerdahl, E. (2014). Medical
yoga: Another way of being in the world—A phenomenological study from the
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https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.3402/qhw.v9.23033
Cramer, H., Lauche, R., Haller, H., Langhorst, J., Dobos, G., & Berger, B. (2013). “I'm more
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Foa, E. B., Gillihan, S. J., & Bryant, R. A. (2013). Challenges and successes in dissemination
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exposure therapy for PTSD. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 14(2), 65-111.
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Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 21(7), 401-408.
Lane, T. S., Armin, J., & Gordon, J. S. (2015). Online recruitment methods for web-based
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Vaismoradi, M., Turunen, H., & Bondas, T. (2013). Content analysis and thematic analysis:
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sciences, 15(3), 398-405. Available at
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