Effect of yoga on vigilance, self rated sleep and state anxiety in Border Security Force personnel in India

Telles, Shirley; Kala, Niranjan; Gupta, Ram Kumar; Verma, Sadhana; Vishwakarma, Babita; Agnihotri, Savita; Gandharva, Kumar; Balkrishna, Acharya

doi:10.3233/wor-192925

“…The final theme, ‘coping’, revealed that the coping strategies most often employed by border security personnel included trying to remain positive and taking with colleagues about problems [ 8 ], while those who used disengagement coping (strategies aimed at diverting from the stressor and associated emotions, rather than facing them) were more likely to experience stress [ 26 ]. There was some evidence that using yoga may help personnel cope with job stress [ 22 , 23 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mental health and wellbeing of border security personnel: scoping review

Brooks

¹

,

Greenberg

²

2022

Occupational Medicine

0

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Background Whilst the wellbeing of law enforcement personnel has been widely researched, border security personnel as a discrete group appear to be far less discussed, despite their roles frequently exposing them to potentially traumatic and challenging events such as contact with criminals or witnessing personal tragedies due to trafficking or smuggling. Aims This scoping review aimed to explore existing literature to better understand the mental health of border security personnel and the factors affecting their wellbeing. Methods Four electronic databases and grey literature were systematically searched for studies relevant to the review’s aims. Following the extraction of relevant data from each study, thematic analysis was used to synthesize findings. Results Thirteen studies included relevant data and were included in the review, identifying stressors including poor management; fatigue; negative public attitudes; inadequate staffing levels, resources, and training; poor opportunities for promotion; low pay; work overload; dangerous working environments; and work-related moral dilemmas. Conclusions The review found that there has been little academic attention paid to border security personnel as a specific branch of law enforcement. Many of the stressors identified in this review are those also reported by law enforcement generally, although negative attitudes from the public and exposure to moral dilemmas appear to be more relevant for border security staff. Directly addressing work-related stress (e.g. by fostering a supportive organizational culture, addressing mental health stigma, and encouraging help-seeking) may be useful in enhancing the resilience of border security personnel.

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“…Enhancement of dopamine values following yoga practice leads to a suppression of corticostriatal glutamatergic transmission and regulation of conscious states[ 29 ]. Yoga interventions have been suggested to enhance vigilance, improve sleep, and reduce anxiety in healthy security personnel[ 135 ].…”

Section: The Clinical Effect Of Yogamentioning

confidence: 99%

Therapeutic role of yoga in neuropsychological disorders

Nourollahimoghadam¹,

Gorji²,

Gorji³

et al. 2021

WJP

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Yoga is considered a widely-used approach for health conservation and can be adopted as a treatment modality for a plethora of medical conditions, including neurological and psychological disorders. Hence, we reviewed relevant articles entailing various neurological and psychological disorders and gathered data on how yoga exerts positive impacts on patients with a diverse range of disorders, including its modulatory effects on brain bioelectrical activities, neurotransmitters, and synaptic plasticity. The role of yoga practice as an element of the treatment of several neuropsychological diseases was evaluated based on these findings.

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“…These findings have been extended to high-stress work environments. For example, studies conducted in the Indian military have found that yoga was associated with decreases in anxiety symptoms and improvements in sleep quality [29,30]; however, in these studies, yoga was provided during an intensive residential program that included other components (e.g., guided relaxation, prayer, chanting, and philosophy [29]). This larger, intensive program demonstrates the need to assess the feasibility of scaling yoga for a broader military context.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effect of a Combined Mindfulness and Yoga Intervention on Soldier Mental Health in Basic Combat Training: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial

Nassif,

Gutierrez,

Smith

et al. 2023

Depression and Anxiety

0

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Background. Depression, anxiety, and sleep problems are prevalent in high-stress occupations including military service. While effective therapies are available, scalable preventive mental health care interventions are needed. This study examined the impact of a combined mindfulness and yoga intervention on the mental health of soldiers in Basic Combat Training (BCT). Methods. U.S. Army soldiers ( N = 1,896 ) were randomized by platoon to an intervention or training-as-usual condition. Soldiers in the intervention condition completed Mindfulness-Based Attention Training (MBAT), engaged in daily 15 min mindfulness practice, and participated in 30 minutes of hatha yoga 6 days per week. Surveys were administered at baseline (T1, prior to training), week 4 of BCT (T2), week 6 (T3), and week 9 (T4). Results. A significant time-by-condition interaction predicting positive screens for depression found that screens decreased at a faster rate from T1 to T4 in the intervention condition (-12.6%) compared to training-as-usual (-7.2%) ( b = − 0.18 , SE = 0.07 , p = 0.028 ). While positive anxiety screens decreased over time across conditions, the time-by-condition interaction found no significant differences in the rate of these decreases by condition ( b = 0.09 , SE = 0.09 , p = 0.273 ). A significant time-by-condition interaction predicting positive screens for sleep problems found that sleep problems decreased in the intervention condition (-1.4%) but increased in training-as-usual (2.0%) ( b = − 0.68 , SE = 0.16 , p = 0.027 ). Conclusion. The mindfulness and yoga intervention was associated with a greater reduction in positive screens for depression and sleep problems among soldiers during high-stress training. Limitations include reliance on self-report and the inability to disaggregate the effects of mindfulness versus yoga. Mindfulness and yoga may enable personnel in high-stress occupations to sustain their mental health even in the context of significant psychological demands. This trial is registered with NCT05550610.

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Effect of yoga on vigilance, self rated sleep and state anxiety in Border Security Force personnel in India

Cited by 7 publications

References 23 publications

Mental health and wellbeing of border security personnel: scoping review

Mental health and wellbeing of border security personnel: scoping review

Therapeutic role of yoga in neuropsychological disorders

The Effect of a Combined Mindfulness and Yoga Intervention on Soldier Mental Health in Basic Combat Training: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial

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