The Effect of Yoga Exercises on Depression, Overt and Covert Anxiety in Women with Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis is a disorder of the central nervous system that, in addition to physical symptoms, can lead to psychological symptoms such as depression and anxiety. In this regard, the present study aimed to determine the effectiveness of yoga training on depression, overt and covert anxiety in women with multiple sclerosis. The present research method was quasi-experimental with a pretest-posttest design with the control group. A sample of 30 women referred to the MS Association of Gorgan in 2019 was selected by convenience sampling method and randomly divided into experimental and control groups. The patients in the experimental group were included in the yoga training program for 8 sessions, but the patients in the control group did not receive any training. The research tool was the Spielberg Anxiety Scale and Back Depression Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 24 and descriptive indicators and multivariate analysis of covariance. The results showed that after yoga training, the mean scores of depression, overt and covert anxiety of the experimental group compared to the control group were significantly reduced. Therefore, the results showed that yoga training can be used as a useful intervention method to reduce depression, overt and covert anxiety of women with multiple sclerosis.