LAUSR

PURPOSE Provide yoga for coping and symptom management in a locked, adult inpatient psychiatric unit. DESIGN Hatha yoga was offered to inpatients with mood disorders and/or psychosis 3 times per week in this evidence-based practice change project. Impact on sleep was examined using recorded sleep hours. Anxiety symptoms were assessed using 6 of the 7 symptoms recorded on the Generalized Anxiety Disorders (GAD) 7. Sustainability of benefits was examined. A self-assessment was conducted at discharge to determine acquisition of new coping skills. RESULTS No difference in sleep hours or interruptions was noted. A statistically significant increase in the total anxiety scores (z = -1.9815, p = 0.02385) and sustainability of benefits (z = -2.0894, p = 0.03662) between the first and second yoga class were observed. A positive change from baseline in sustainability of symptoms for "less anxiety" (k = 0.108) and "more relaxed" (k = 0.083) was found. There was a significant increase in utilization of yoga (p = 0.0015) and meditation (p = 0.013) as coping mechanisms at discharge. CONCLUSIONS Adults in an acute inpatient psychiatric unit who participated in yoga practice identified yoga and meditation as newly-acquired coping mechanisms and reported significant improvement in anxiety symptoms with sustained benefits ranging from half day to full day.