A Qualitative Descriptive Study on Yoga Intervention for PTSD Patients

This essay critically appraises a qualitative descriptive study on the effectiveness of yoga intervention for PTSD patients. The study aimed to understand the perception of PTSD patients on the impacts of Kundalini yoga. The study applied the Randomized Control Trial (RCT) design and used interviews and qualitative thematic method for data collection and analysis respectively. The results indicate that the patients noted a reduction of the symptoms after the yoga intervention. The study has few limitations, but yoga is effective for PTSD patients.

Running head: EVIDENCE-BASED NURSING RESEARCH 1
Student Name:
HLSC122 Semester 2, 2018
Assessment 3: Critical appraisal of evidence
Word count: 1211

EVIDENCE-BASED NURSING RESEARCH 2
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. doi:10.1089/acm.2014.0262
Introduction
Tasso has PTSD which is a mental complication that occurs when the patient witnesses a
terrifying occurrence like a car accident. Some of the symptoms of the condition include severe
anxiety, nightmares, and flashbacks (Seligowski, Lee, Bardeen, & Orcutt, 2015). The symptoms
of mental complication interfere with the ability of an individual to conduct daily activities.
However, proper medication and self-care restore normalcy in the patient's life. Psychotherapy
remedies like exposure and cognitive therapy eliminate the symptoms of PTSD. The GP can also
prescribe medications like antidepressants to lower the levels of anxiety in patients. However, a
recent study has indicated that yoga is an effective remedy for PTSD (Jindani, & Khalsa, 2015).
This essay will critically appraise the above research paper on the impacts of Yoga.
Part A
Authorship
The authors’ affiliations and qualifications make it easy for an individual to accept and
trust the credibility of the study. Doctor Farah Jindani is a PhD holder working at the CAMH at
Toronto Canada. Khalsa G.F is a lecturer at the University of Toronto, at the Multi-Faith Centre
for Spiritual Study and practice. The two scholars are well-known, and their work is peer-
reviewed and has been accepted by the medical fraternity. The conflict of interest can arise due
to the origin of the two authors. They are both from Toronto, Canada; thus readers outside
Canada can assume that yoga only works in that country. The authors also involve more women
(31) than men (9) in the study thereby questioning the fairness of the investigation.

EVIDENCE-BASED NURSING RESEARCH 3
Research Questions, aim or hypothesis
The study seeks to understand the perception of PTSD patients on the impacts of
Kulandini yoga. The ineffectiveness and the shortcomings of the conventional methods of
managing PTSD necessitated the authors to explore a complementary treatment option. The
shortfalls and the side effects of psychotherapy and other medications like antidepressants create
room yoga. Recent research has shown that not all oral therapies are active on the patients
(McCullough, Risley-Curtiss, & Rorke, 2015). Exposure therapies can also worsen the
symptoms of stress disorder. The therapies can also awaken the trauma or memories of the tragic
event. Therefore, exposure treatment does not improve the occupational, health, and social
functioning of the patient (Gentry, Baranowsky, & Rhoton, 2017). The limitations of the existing
therapies trigger the need to search for an effective remedy for a stress disorder. The authors
conducted the study to provide a viable alternative for the management of the mental
complication.
Research Design
The study applied the Randomized Control Trial (RCT) design to outline the facts of the
research. The investigators asked the eighty participants who turned up for the survey to choose
either the waitlist control or the intervention group. Twenty-one participants moved to the
control group while the remaining fifty-nine chose the intervention group (Jindani, & Khalsa,
2015). After the yoga exercise, the researchers noted changes in both groups. However, the
intervention group showed a significant reduction of symptoms in comparison with the waitlist
group.
The RCT design is useful for the research question under investigation since it is
unbiased among other reasons. The investigators wanted to analyse the feelings of the PTSD

EVIDENCE-BASED NURSING RESEARCH 4
patients after undergoing the yoga treatment. The design also creates room for the comparison of
two competing variables as the researchers get the opportunity to gauge both the control and the
intervention group. The interpretation of statistical data in the RCT is more comfortable than the
other designs (Agar et al., 2015).
Research Methods
The investigators targeted PTSD patients residing outside any treatment facility. The
researchers placed posters at public places to alert the Toronto residents about the upcoming
yoga exercise. The investigators used online bulletin to reach clients at the CAHM.
Additionally, patients learnt about the activity from advertisements. The study used the interview
approach to collect data from the participants. The interviews were either audio-recorded from a
telephone conversation or were semi-structured. Each group or individual meeting took an
average of thirty minutes. The research also used the qualitative thematic method as the
technique for data analysis. Interviews enable the interviewer and the interviewee to develop a
productive working relationship (Gorham et al., 2017). The method also makes the interviewer
select the appropriate candidates for a given study. However, interview sessions can be tedious
and time-consuming (Al‐Amer, Ramjan, L., Glew, Darwish, & Salamonson, 2015). Thematic
analysis is suitable for large sets of data and also favours numerous researchers (Hong et al.,
2016). However, it is unreliable due to varied interpretation from different investigators. The
data analysis method also limits the ability of an individual to make sense of information
continuity.
Results and Limitation of the Study
The results and the conclusion of the study answer the research question. The study
intended to gauge the perception of the PTSD patients about the impact of yoga on their systems.

EVIDENCE-BASED NURSING RESEARCH 5
The results indicate that the patients noted a reduction of the symptoms after the Kundalini yoga.
The desirable effects of the exercise make the researchers conclude that caregivers should
suggest yoga to the patients of PTSD. The first limitation of the study is that the participants
were healthy and had an immense interest in the yoga exercise. Secondly, the sample size was
small, and the study lacked an adequate control group. Finding solutions to the limitations
improves the credibility of the research.
Part B
I would apply the Kundalini yoga in clinical practice due to its various advantages over
the other remedies like exposure and cognitive therapies. The Yoga program reduces stress and
enables the PTSD patient to tolerate the trauma from tragic events (Vacchiano, Wofford &
Titch, 2014). The exercise also reduces the severity of PTSD symptoms and enables the patients
to control their emotions. Yoga empowers the patients and allows the clients to regulate their
healing. The experts conduct the yoga sessions in groups; thus ensuring social support to the
participants. Patients admit that the yoga program improves their health and wellbeing. The
numerous advantages of the remedy make it indispensable in the clinical set-ups. However, a few
barriers can prevent the application of the solution. Elderly patients might find the exercise to be
strenuous; hence only effective for young patients. The language barrier between the trainers and
the participants may also prevent the continuity of the training (Meuter, Gallois, Segalowitz,
Ryder, & Hocking, 2015).
Conclusion
Yoga is an efficient remedy for PTSD patients according to the above research paper.
The authors of the article, Jindani, and Khalsa are well-known, and their work is peer-reviewed;
hence improving credibility. However, the fact that the authors are all from Toronto raises the

EVIDENCE-BASED NURSING RESEARCH 6
question of biases. Gender bias also occurs as the authors recruit nine men and thirty-one females
for the study. The research intended to gauge the perception of PTSD patients on the impact of
yoga on their symptoms. The study applies RCT design which eliminates bias and creates room
for the comparison of variables. The investigators use interviews and qualitative thematic
method to collect and analyse data respectively. The study has few limitations; however, yoga is
effective for PTSD patients.

EVIDENCE-BASED NURSING RESEARCH 7
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