Effectiveness of Yoga Therapy in Reducing Depressive Symptoms Among Elderly Residing in Selected Old Age Homes

Abstract

ABSTRACT newline newlineA study to evaluate the effectiveness of yoga therapy in reducing depressive symptoms among elderly residing in selected old age homes at Tamil Nadu was attempted. To assess the level of depressive symptoms among elderly before yoga therapy in the experimental and control group and to compare the pre and post-test depressive symptoms score between experimental and control group and to associate the post-test score of the elderly with their selected demographic variable. Quasi experimental time series design was used in this study. The study was conducted at selected old age homes at Thiruvannamalai, Villupuram and Kancheepuram district- Tamil Nadu. Non-probability convenient sampling method was used to select the samples. Sample of 300 elderly with depressive. Comparison between experimental and control group shows that the mean differences were 0.43, 0.50, 1.73 and 3.82 respectively, pre-test, post-tests 1, 2 and newline3. The F value for time was 62.53 and these values are statistically significant at Plt0.001 level. It showed that longer duration of yoga therapy would be more effective in reducing depressive symptoms. The f value for group was 218.26 this showed the significant differences between experimental and control group plt0.001 level. The depressive symptoms had significant association with age, gender, education, previous occupation, income, and marital status, area of residence and residing status of the elderly at the post test. The above outcome shows that yoga therapy was effective in reducing depressive symptoms of the elderly, extended yoga therapy was more beneficial than the short period of yoga practice. Yoga therapy was not only effective in reducing depressive symptoms, also had a positive impact on the elderly s arthritic pain, diabetes and hypertension. newline