A retrospective study on the acceptability, feasibility, and effectiveness of LoveYourBrain Yoga for people with traumatic brain injury and caregivers

Abstract

Purpose

To conduct a mixed methods, pre-post, retrospective study on the feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of the LoveYourBrain Yoga program.

Materials and Methods

People were eligible if they were a traumatic brain injury survivor or caregiver, age 15–70, ambulatory, and capable of gentle exercise and group discussion. We analyzed attendance, satisfaction, and mean differences in scores on Quality of Life After Brain Injury Overall scale (QOLIBRI-OS) and four TBI-QOL/Neuro-QOL scales. Content analysis explored perceptions of benefits and areas of improvement.

Results

1563 people (82.0%) participated ≥1 class in 156 programs across 18 states and 3 Canadian provinces. Mean satisfaction was 9.3 out of 10 (SD 1.0). Mixed effects linear regression found significant improvements in QOLIBRI-OS (B 9.70, 95% CI: 8.51, 10.90), Resilience (B 1.30, 95% CI: 0.60, 2.06), Positive Affect and Well-being (B 1.49, 95% CI: 1.14, 1.84), and Cognition (B 1.48, 95% CI: 0.78, 2.18) among traumatic brain injury survivors (n = 705). No improvement was found in Emotional and Behavioral Dysregulation, however, content analysis revealed better ability to regulate anxiety, anger, stress, and impulsivity. Caregivers perceived improvements in physical and psychological health.

Conclusions

LoveYourBrain Yoga is feasible and acceptable and may be an effective mode of community-based rehabilitation.

IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION

• People with traumatic brain injury and their caregivers often experience poor quality of life and difficulty accessing community-based rehabilitation services.

• Yoga is a holistic, mind-body therapy with many benefits to quality of life, yet is largely inaccessible to people affected by traumatic brain injury in community settings.

• Participants in LoveYourBrain Yoga, a six-session, community-based yoga with psychoeducation program in 18 states and 3 Canadian provinces, experienced significant improvements in quality of life, resilience, cognition, and positive affect.

• LoveYourBrain Yoga is feasible and acceptable when implemented on a large scale and may be an effective mode of, or adjunct to, community-based rehabilitation.

Keywords:

• Traumatic brain injury
• yoga
• resilience
• meditation
• community-based rehabilitation
• caregiver
• quality of life

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to study participants and to the yoga studios and yoga teachers who delivered LoveYourBrain Yoga in their communities.

Disclosure statement

All authors have reviewed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form and declare: KZD is employed by the LoveYourBrain Foundation, a nonprofit, for whom she led the design of the curriculum for the LoveYourBrain Yoga program. KZD is married to the Executive Director of the LoveYourBrain Foundation. PJB, MB, KB, AS, and RP have no relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.

Authors’ contributions

KZD is the guarantor. KZD led the conception and design of the study, data analysis and interpretation, and drafted the manuscript. PJB, AS, and MB contributed to data analysis and interpretation and provided revisions on the draft manuscript. KB and RP contributed to the implementation of the study intervention, data collection systems, and provided revisions on the draft of the manuscript. All authors approved the final manuscript.

Additional information

Funding

The preparation of this manuscript research was supported by funding from a T32 NIH grant [# T32 MH073553] and received no other funding from the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.