An Online CBT, Mindfulness Meditation & Yoga (CBT-MY) Intervention for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Condition: Posttraumatic Stress Disorders; PTSD
MeSH terms: Stress Disorders, Traumatic; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a chronic, debilitating condition, is a growing public
      health concern as the Canadian population has the highest PTSD prevalence worldwide (9.2%;
      3.7 million people). PTSD is linked with other comorbid mental health disorders (e.g.,
      depression) and increased risk of chronic disease (e.g., cardiovascular disease, obesity)
      which presents challenges as far as selection of the appropriate treatment approach.
      Adjunctive treatment approaches for PTSD that include somatic-sensory body awareness (e.g.,
      mindfulness, yoga) have been shown to be viable treatment options to reduce stress-related
      symptoms and enhance emotion regulation. Online treatment delivery for mental health
      disorders demonstrate similar reductions in self-reported symptoms as face-to-face methods
      and emphasize accessibility, reduced costs, and enhanced appeal to certain demographic
      groups. A target population at risk of untreated PTSD symptoms that may benefit from an
      online treatment is young adults, 18-34 yrs., who have experienced childhood trauma. No known
      clinical trial (CT) has addressed the effectiveness of a brief (8-week) online
      trauma-informed yoga intervention using both self-report and objective psychophysiology
      measures. The purpose of this study is to evaluate changes in self-reported PTSD symptoms and
      objectively measured biomarkers of autonomic regulation via pupil dilation and
      heart-rate-variability (HRV) following an 8-week single-arm experimental design. It is
      hypothesized that clinically significant reductions of: 1) PTSD total symptom severity by 10%
      and 2) significant reductions in pupil dilation at post-intervention and; 3) significant
      increases in HRV at post-intervention. This is the first study to examine objective markers
      of autonomic regulation among an at-risk population using multiple novel technologies (e.g.,
      Eye Tracking Glasses, HRV) and comparing two theoretically-linked measures (e.g., HRV,
      Pupillometry). Comparisons of psychophysiology data with a cross-sectional convenience sample
      with no history of clinical PTSD or mental health conditions were made.
    

Detailed description: 
      Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a chronic, debilitating condition, is a growing public
      health concern as the Canadian population has the highest PTSD prevalence worldwide (9.2%;
      3.7 million people). PTSD is linked with several co-morbid mental health disorders (e.g.,
      depression) and increased risk of chronic disease (e.g., cardiovascular disease, obesity)
      which presents challenges as far as the determination of appropriate treatment. Adjunctive
      treatment approaches for PTSD that include somatic-sensory body awareness (e.g., mindfulness,
      yoga) have been shown to be viable treatment options to reduce stress-related symptoms and
      enhance emotion regulation. Online treatment deliveries for mental health disorders
      demonstrate similar reductions in self-reported symptoms as face-to-face methods and
      emphasize accessibility, reduced costs, and enhanced appeal to certain demographic groups. A
      target population at risk of untreated PTSD symptoms that may benefit from an online
      treatment is young adults, 18-34 yrs., who have experienced trauma during pre-adult
      development. No known clinical trial (CT) has addressed the effectiveness of a brief (8-week)
      online trauma-informed yoga intervention using both self-report and objective
      psychophysiology measures. This study evaluates such an intervention in terms of changes in
      self-reported PTSD symptoms and objectively measured biomarkers of autonomic regulation via
      pupil dilation and heart-rate-variability (HRV) following an 8-week single-arm experimental
      design. It is hypothesized that results will demonstrate clinically significant reductions
      of: 1) PTSD total symptom severity; 2) statistically significant reductions in pupil dilation
      and; 3) significant increases in HRV at post-intervention. This is the first study to examine
      objective markers of autonomic regulation in an at-risk population using multiple novel
      technologies (e.g., Eye Tracking Glasses, HRV) that compare two theoretically-linked measures
      (e.g., HRV, Pupillometry). Comparisons of psychophysiology data with a cross-sectional
      convenience sample with no history of clinical PTSD or mental health conditions are made
    

Intervention name(s): Online Mindfulness-Based CBT & Trauma-Informed Yoga Intervention
Intervention type(s): Behavioral
Intervention description(s): 8 Weekly Online modules consisting of one weekly video of yoga postures combined with breath awareness and daily guided meditation audios, and a breath technique manual form the foundation of the intervention. The trauma-informed component of the program uses specific language, movement cues, teacher qualities, and physical assists. The yoga intervention will emphasize full choice and control of the participant through invitational language such as, "when you are ready", "if you like" before each body posture cue. Based on trauma-informed yoga best practices, a predictable foundation of yoga postures (with variations) will be followed in a consistent order each session to allow participants to anchor to the series.
Other intervention name(s): Online Trauma-Informed Mindfulness-Based CBT Intervention
Intervention model: Single Group Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: Yoga; Mindfulness Meditation; Online; Posttraumatic Stress Disorder; Young Adulthood