Effects of Yoga Program on Stress Reduction in Pregnant Women

Abstract

This quasi-experimental research aimed to study the effects of meditative yoga on stress reduction during pregnancy. The sample was selected using purposive sampling, consisting of 60 pregnant women aged 19 years and older, with a gestational age between 20 and 32 weeks. The participants were divided into a control group and an experimental group, with 30 members each. The control group received routine nursing care, while the experimental group practiced meditative yoga in addition to routine nursing care. The meditative yoga practice consisted of yoga postures and breathing techniques. The yoga postures included four types: neck exercises, shoulder exercises, arm and finger stretching, and ankle, knee, and hip exercises. The breathing technique involved guided breathing exercises. The instruments used for data collection included a meditative yoga Practice Guide, a personal information questionnaire, and a Perceived Stress Scale with  a Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of .70. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and  t-tests. The results revealed that:

The mean stress score of the experimental group after the intervention was significantly lower than before the intervention (t=4.10, p<.01) and significantly lower than that of the control group (t=4.50, p<.01).

Based on these findings, it is suggested that professional nurses in antenatal care units can provide knowledge to pregnant women on self-care through meditative yoga practice to help reduce stress, adapting the practice to fit their specific contexts.