The effects of yoga on student mental health: a randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Universities around the world are facing an epidemic of mental distress among their students. The problem is truly a public health issue, affecting many and with serious consequences. The global burden of disease-agenda calls for effective interventions with lasting effects that have the potential to improve the mental health of young adults. In this study we aimed to determine whether yoga, a popular and widely available mind-body practice, can improve student mental health. METHODS: We performed a randomised controlled trial with 202 healthy university students in the Oslo area. The participants were assigned to a yoga group or waitlist control group in a 1:1 ratio by a simple online randomisation program. The intervention group was offered 24 yoga sessions over 12 weeks. Measurements were taken at week 0 (baseline), week 12 (post-intervention), and week 24 (follow-up). The primary outcome was psychological distress assessed by the HSCL-25 questionnaire. Analysis was performed based on the intention to treat-principle. RESULTS: Between 24 January 2017, and 27 August 2017, we randomly assigned 202 students to a yoga intervention group (n = 100), or waitlist control group (n = 102). Compared with the control group, the yoga participants demonstrated a significant reduction in distress symptoms both at post-intervention (adjusted difference in the mean change -0.15, 95% CI -0.26 to -0.03, p = 0.0110) and follow-up (adjusted difference in the mean change -0.18, 95% CI -0.29 to -0.06, p = 0.0025). Sleep quality also improved at post-intervention and follow-up. No adverse events were reported. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that yoga has a moderately large and lasting effect, at least for some months, reducing symptoms of distress and improving sleep quality among students. Further research should seek ways to enhance the effect, assess an even longer follow-up period, include active control groups, and consider performing similar studies in other cultural settings.Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04258540.

Reaction and adaptation to the birth of a child: a couple-level analysis.

The present study explored how life satisfaction changes before and after childbirth among first-time parents from a nationally representative, longitudinal study of Germans. Life satisfaction increased before pregnancy to a peak just after birth and then returned to the baseline level within 2 years postpartum. The 2 members of the same couple reacted and adapted to childbirth in similar ways, suggesting that something about the event itself (rather than the individuals' personality) affects individual differences in these responses. However, some personality characteristics (including neuroticism and openness) did moderate reaction and adaptation effects.

Can a Happy Relationship Predict a Happy Life? A Population-Based Study of Maternal Well-Being During the Life Transition of Pregnancy, Infancy, and Toddlerhood.

The association between overall life satisfaction (LS) and relationship satisfaction (RS) was investigated longitudinally among mothers (N=67,355), using data from the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study (MoBa), conducted by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. Data were collected twice during pregnancy, and at 6 and 36 months postpartum. Satisfaction increased during pregnancy, with RS decreasing immediately following birth and LS showing an initial increase followed by a decrease postpartum. The results showed that LS and RS levels were quite stable over time (.46-.75), as was their cross-sectional associations (.42-.59). Structural equation modeling using a cross-lagged longitudinal model evidenced cross-concept cross-time effects for both LS and RS. The strengths of the cross-effects were asymmetrical and life-phase specific, with RS predicting change in LS more than LS predicted changes in RS during pregnancy and infancy. Having a satisfying romantic relationship is important for retaining and increasing future life satisfaction.