Evaluating the Effect of Yogic Intervention on Psychological Distress Among Injured Athletes
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17309/tmfv.2025.4.06Keywords:
depression, anxiety, stress, yoga, injured athletes, rehabilitation and psychological distressAbstract
Background. Injured athletes often face psychological distress, including symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress, which can hinder their recovery. Addressing mental well-being is essential for holistic rehabilitation.
Objectives. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a structured yogic intervention, comprising practices of Yoga Nidra (yogic sleep) and Nadi Shodhana Pranayama (alternate nostril breathing), in reducing psychological distress among chronically injured athletes.
Materials and methods. Forty athletes with long-term injuries, aged 19 to 26, from Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University in Uttarakhand, were randomly divided into two groups of 20, with equal numbers of men and women in each group: one group received the treatment and the other did not. The 21-item Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21) was implemented to measure psychological discomfort. Before the intervention, both groups took a pre-test. The Experimental group received a yogic intervention for six weeks (30 minutes/day, five days/week), while the Control group underwent no intervention. A post-test was conducted for both groups after the intervention period. Paired t-tests and independent t-tests were used to analyze within-group and between-group differences, respectively.
Results. The Experimental group showed significant improvement in depression (t = 6.65, p < .001), anxiety (t = 5.07, p < .001), and stress (t = 5.72, p < .001) from pre- to post-test. No substantial changes were observed in the Control group. Post-test comparisons revealed marked enhancements in all variables in the Experimental group compared to the Control group.
Conclusions. According to the findings of this study, the structured yogic intervention significantly reduced psychological distress in injured athletes, suggesting its effectiveness as a complementary strategy in the rehabilitation process. Yoga Nidra and Nadi Shodhana Pranayama may aid in promoting faster and more effective recovery by improving mental well-being.
Downloads
References
Sullivan, L., Ding, K., Tattersall, H., Brown, S., & Yang, J. (2022). Social Support and Post-Injury Depressive and Anxiety Symptoms among College-Student Athletes. International journal of environmental research and public health, 19(11), 6458. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19116458 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19116458
Marconcin, P., Silva, A. L., Flôres, F., Nunes, A., Lourenço, J. F., Peralta, M., & Minghelli, B. (2023). Association between Musculoskeletal Injuries and Depressive Symptoms among Athletes: A Systematic Review. International journal of environmental research and public health, 20(12), 6130. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20126130 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20126130
Santi, G., & Pietrantoni, L. (2013). Psychology of sport injury rehabilitation: a review of models and interventions. Journal of Human Sport and Exercise, 8(4), 1029-1044. https://doi.org/10.4100/jhse.2013.84.13 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4100/jhse.2013.84.13
Zhu, Y., Jha, S. C., Shutta, K. H., Huang, T., Balasubramanian, R., Clish, C. B., Hankinson, S. E., & Kubzansky, L. D. (2022). Psychological distress and metabolomic markers: A systematic review of posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and subclinical distress. Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews, 143, 104954. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104954 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104954
Haugen, E. (2022). Athlete mental health & psychological impact of sport injury. Operative Techniques in Sports Medicine, 30(1), 150898. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.otsm.2022.150898 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.otsm.2022.150898
Appaneal, R. N., Levine, B. R., Perna, F. M., & Roh, J. L. (2009). Measuring postinjury depression among male and female competitive athletes. Journal of sport & exercise psychology, 31(1), 60-76. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsep.31.1.60 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1123/jsep.31.1.60
Hammond, T., Gialloreto, C., Kubas, H., & Hap Davis, H., 4th (2013). The prevalence of failure-based depression among elite athletes. Clinical journal of sport medicine: official journal of the Canadian Academy of Sport Medicine, 23(4), 273-277. https://doi.org/10.1097/JSM.0b013e318287b870 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/JSM.0b013e318287b870
Wolanin, A., Hong, E., Marks, D., Panchoo, K., & Gross, M. (2016). Prevalence of clinically elevated depressive symptoms in college athletes and differences by gender and sport. British journal of sports medicine, 50(3), 167-171. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2015-095756 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2015-095756
Pal, S., Kalra, S., & Awasthi, S. (2021). Influence of Stress and Anxiety on Sports Injuries in Athletes. Journal of Clinical & Diagnostic Research, 15(4). DOI: https://doi.org/10.7860/JCDR/2021/45973.14702
Krishnamurthy, M. N. (2023). Yoga as part of sports medicine and rehabilitation. International Journal of Yoga, 16(2), 61-63. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4103/ijoy.ijoy_212_23
Bucea-Manea-Țoniș, R., & Păun, D. G. (2024). Yoga, a mindfulness therapy to prevent PTSD as to encompass athletes’ performance. Frontiers in psychology, 15, 1334278. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1334278 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1334278
Nourollahimoghadam, E., Gorji, S., Gorji, A., & Khaleghi Ghadiri, M. (2021). Therapeutic role of yoga in neuropsychological disorders. World journal of psychiatry, 11(10), 754-773. https://doi.org/10.5498/wjp.v11.i10.754 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5498/wjp.v11.i10.754
Bridges, L., & Sharma, M. (2017). The Efficacy of Yoga as a Form of Treatment for Depression. Journal of evidence-based complementary & alternative medicine, 22(4), 1017-1028. https://doi.org/10.1177/2156587217715927 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/2156587217715927
Lee, H., Seong Kim, E., Hoon Huh, J., Lee, J. (2024). The effects of yoga-psychological skills training on mental health coping in injured young athletes. A Case Study. International Journal of Sport Psychology, 55(1), 90-108. https://doi.org/10.7352/IJSP.2024.55.090
Mola, D. W., Rahman, M. H., Uvinha, R. R., Adane, A. K., Tyagi, S., ADILI, D., & Islam, M. S. (2025). Effect of 12-week Training Program on the Fitness and Performance of Long Jumpers. International Journal of Kinesiology and Sports Science, 13(1), 45-53. https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijkss.v.13n.1p.45 DOI: https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijkss.v.13n.1p.45
Mola, D.W., & Adane, A. K. (2020). The effect of explosive power, flexibility and speed training on long jump performance: The case of burayu town athletics Club. IJPEFS, 36(1), 71-80.
Lovibond, P. F., & Lovibond, S. H. (2020). The Depression Anxiety Stress Scale: Features and applications. In Measures of personality and social psychological constructs (pp. 278–289). https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-817933-8.00025-6 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-817933-8.00025-6
Wittayapun, Y., Summart, U., Polpanadham, P., Direksunthorn, T., Paokanha, R., Judabood, N., & A’la, M. Z. (2023). Validation of depression, anxiety, and stress scales (DASS-21) among Thai nursing students in an online learning environment during the COVID-19 outbreak: A multi-center study. Plos one, 18(6), e0288041. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0288041 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0288041
Vaughan, R. S., Edwards, E. J., & MacIntyre, T. E. (2020). Mental Health Measurement in a Post Covid-19 World: Psychometric Properties and Invariance of the DASS-21 in Athletes and Non-athletes. Frontiers in psychology, 11, 590559. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.590559 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.590559
Gomez-Espejo, V., Olmedilla, A., Abenza-Cano, L., Garcia-Mas, A., & Ortega, E. (2022). Psychological readiness to return to sports practice and risk of recurrence: Case studies. Frontiers in psychology, 13, 905816. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.905816 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.905816
Mondal S. (2024). Proposed physiological mechanisms of pranayama: A discussion. Journal of Ayurveda and integrative medicine, 15(1), 100877. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaim.2023.100877 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaim.2023.100877
Moszeik, E. N., von Oertzen, T., & Renner, K. H. (2022). Effectiveness of a short Yoga Nidra meditation on stress, sleep, and well-being in a large and diverse sample. Current Psychology, 41(8), 5272-5286. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-020-01042-2 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-020-01042-2
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Sonu Kumar, Meenakshi Saraf Kalyani, Mukul Pant, Anuja Rawat, Hiralal Yadav, Dessalegn Wase Mola
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
