The Effects of Yoga on Adjustment in Male and Female Elderly

The purpose of this study was to survey the effects of yoga on adjustment in male and female elderly. This study was a semi empirical an applied research and design of it included pre-test, post-test. Statistical population of this study was all male and female elderly (60 years and older) of Alborz province in 2017 that 40 male and female elderly were selected among them as convenience and purposive sample from Kahrizak charity of Alborz province. They were randomly divided into experimental group and control group. The inclusion criteria for this study was physical and mental health and a lower mean score in the adjustment factor. The instrument of this study was included a demographic questionnaire, the satisfaction form of participation in this study, and the Bell Adjustment Inventory (BAL). The experimental group participated in yoga trainings for 6 weeks (3 sessions per week for 45 minutes). The collected data was analyzed by the Shapiro-Wilk test and the two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). The results of this study showed that yoga trainings had a significant effect on adjustment in male and female elderly. It means that yoga trainings led to a significant increasing of adjustment (P=0.000). Also, yoga trainings had a significant effect on social and emotional adjustment. It means that yoga trainings led to a significant increasing of social adjustment (P=0.045) and emotional adjustment (P=0.000) in male and female elderly. We can conclude that a yoga intervention can be used by experts to increase adjustment in nursing homes.