Introduction
Simon et al.’s (2021) study described in the article “Efficacy of Yoga vs Cognitive Behavioral Therapy vs Stress Education for the Treatment of Generalized Anxiety Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial” focuses on evaluating and comparing the effectiveness of Kundalini yoga, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and stress education in treating generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). It is stated in literature that GAD is often undertreated, despite being a common condition (Saeed et al., 2019). Many patients may try to find alternative interventions, such as yoga, but supporting data for its effectiveness is lacking.
Hypotheses and Variables
The hypotheses are that Kundalini yoga and CBT are more effective than stress education and that Kundalini yoga is noninferior to CBT. The study involves 226 female and male adults with GAD, with participants randomized to yoga, CBT, or stress education. The authors presented Kundalini yoga, CBT, and stress education interventions in groups of 4-6 individuals during twelve 2-hour sessions. The independent variables are the types of treatment: Kundalini yoga, CBT, and stress education. The dependent variable is the GAD response after 12 weeks, using the Clinical Global Impression–Improvement Scale score.
Data Collection and Analysis
The study was developed as a randomized, controlled, single-masked clinical trial, using superiority and noninferiority tests. Rates of participants’ responses were high in the yoga group (54.2%) compared to the stress education group (33%) (odds ratio [OR], 2.46 [95% CI, 1.12-5.42]; P = .03) and in the CBT group (70.8%) when contrasted with the stress education group (33.0%) (OR, 5.00 [95% CI, 2.12-11.82]; P < .001). In terms of noninferiority, Kundalini yoga was not determined to be as efficient as CBT (difference, 16.6%; P = .42).
Findings
The authors found that Kundalini yoga and CBT were more successful than stress education, but Kundalini yoga was less effective than CBT. Thus, the second hypothesis was not supported. The study’s results align with the literature supporting CBT as a first-line treatment.
Conclusion
The study concludes that Kundalini yoga can help decrease anxiety in patients with GAD, but CBT remains the most effective treatment. Future studies should focus on determining characteristics that make individuals more inclined to respond to yoga vs CBT. The study is appropriately conducted to provide relevant results regarding interventions other than CBT for individuals with GAD. Thirty-four academic sources were mentioned in the study.
References
Saeed, S. A., Cunningham, K., & Bloch, R. M. (2019). Depression and anxiety disorders: Benefits of exercise, yoga, and meditation. American Family Physician, 99(10), 620-627.
Simon, N. M., Hofmann, S. G., Rosenfield, D., Hoeppner, S. S., Hoge, E. A., Bui, E., & Khalsa, S. B. S. (2021). Efficacy of yoga vs cognitive behavioral therapy vs stress education for the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder: A randomized clinical trial. JAMA Psychiatry, 78(1), 13-20. Web.