Moving out of your mind and into your body: Yoga buffers the effects of childhood maltreatment on PTSD symptoms

Abstract

Objective: Childhood maltreatment has been consistently linked to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms among college students and yoga may buffer the effects. The current study examined the frequency of college student’s yoga practice over the past year as a moderator of childhood maltreatment and PTSD symptoms in the past 30 days. Participants: A sample of 177 college students from a southern university. Methods: Participants competed an online survey in exchange for extra credit or entry into a gift card raffle. Results: Moderation analysis indicated that a more frequent yoga practice buffered the relationship between maltreatment and PTSD symptoms. Conclusion: Clinicians working with college students with a history of maltreatment are encouraged to make referrals to yoga classes. Universities are encouraged to adopt trauma-sensitive yoga programs.

Keywords:

• Childhood maltreatment
• yoga
• posttraumatic stress disorder
• moderation
• college students

Data Availability Statement

The participants in the current study did not provide their consent for their data to be shared publicly, therefore the data are unavailable.

Conflict of interest disclosure

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report. The authors confirm that the research presented in this article met the ethical guidelines, including adherence to the legal requirements, of the United States and received approval from the Institutional Review Board of the University of Southern Mississippi.

Funding

No funding was used to support this research and/or the preparation of the manuscript.