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Yoga and perceived stress

Petersen, Lea (2014) Yoga and perceived stress. Master's Thesis, University of Pittsburgh. (Unpublished)

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Abstract

Objective: College is a time of stress for attendees. Stress among students is of great public health importance, those who experience high stress loads are subject to adverse academic and mental health outcomes. Research on the general population suggests participation in yoga can help alleviate perceived stress. This research aimed to observe changes in perceived stress in University of Pittsburgh students enrolled in a five week group fitness yoga class.

Methods: Following a case series design, the effects of participation in twice weekly yoga classes were observed in 14 university students. Cohen’s Perceived Stress Scale, a measure of the perceived uncontrollability of individuals’ lives, was used to measure changes in reported perceived stress in the first, third and fifth weeks of yoga classes.

Results: Nine of the 14 students evaluated exhibited a decrease in perceived stress by the end of the summer session. On average, students perceived their stress to decrease by 1.8 points with a median decrease of 2 PSS points.

Conclusion: The present research observed positive changes in perceived stress in university students participating in a five week yoga course. Considering the public health impact of stress among students, this study be used as a starting point for future studies investigating the effectiveness of yoga participation on perceived stress when compared to a control population.


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Details

Item Type: University of Pittsburgh ETD
Status: Unpublished
Creators/Authors:
CreatorsEmailPitt UsernameORCID
Petersen, Lealgp5@pitt.eduLGP5
ETD Committee:
TitleMemberEmail AddressPitt UsernameORCID
Committee MemberBodnar, Lisabodnar@edc.pitt.eduLBODNAR
Committee MemberHawk, Marymeh96@pitt.eduMEH96
Thesis AdvisorTerry, Marthamaterry@pitt.eduMATERRY
Date: 27 June 2014
Date Type: Publication
Defense Date: 15 April 2014
Approval Date: 27 June 2014
Submission Date: 24 April 2014
Access Restriction: No restriction; Release the ETD for access worldwide immediately.
Number of Pages: 56
Institution: University of Pittsburgh
Schools and Programs: School of Public Health > Behavioral and Community Health Sciences
Degree: MPH - Master of Public Health
Thesis Type: Master's Thesis
Refereed: Yes
Uncontrolled Keywords: yoga, perceived stress, case study, university of pittsburgh
Date Deposited: 27 Jun 2014 22:27
Last Modified: 15 Nov 2016 14:19
URI: http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/21453

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