Effect of Yoga Therapy on Stress among Spinal Cord Injury Patients at Selected Hospitals

Abstract

Objective :

To assess the effectiveness of yoga therapy in reducing perceived stress levels among patients with spinal cord injury (SCI).

Methods :

A two-group pre-test and post-test quasi-experimental design was employed. A total of 100 patients with spinal cord injury were recruited through purposive sampling from selected hospitals. Eligible participants were aged ≥18 years and classified under ASIA Impairment Scale grades C, D, or E. Perceived stress was measured using a standardized Perceived Stress Scale with a reliability coefficient of 0.731. The intervention comprised a structured yoga therapy program consisting of 10 sessions completed within 15 days. Descriptive statistics and inferential analyses, including paired t-test and Fisher’s exact test, were used to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention.

Results :

At baseline, 62% of participants reported severe levels of perceived stress. Following the intervention, 72% of participants demonstrated a reduction to mild stress levels. The mean perceived stress score significantly decreased from 28.9 (SD ±3.8) at pre-test to 24.9 (SD ±4.1) at post-test (t = 1.9, p = 0.043). These findings indicate a statistically significant reduction in perceived stress among patients who received yoga therapy.

Conclusion :

Yoga therapy was found to be an effective complementary intervention for reducing perceived stress among patients with spinal cord injury. The results support the incorporation of yoga-based interventions into routine rehabilitation and nursing care programs to enhance psychological well-being in this population.