Effectiveness of a 12-Week Selected Yogic Practice Programme on Perceived Stress and Anxiety among Female Defence Personnel: A Controlled Intervention Study

Abstract

Female defence personnel are subject to occupational environments that may be characterized by high stress levels. Job stress includes variables that range from psychological strain (stress and anxiety, sense of overwhelm and pressure) to demands (concentration, sustained task engagement) and uncertainties inherent in occupational activity and circumstances (e.g. Working in highly secure environment or working with people in trauma situations, working in highly secure locations) which can ultimately impact on effective functioning and well-being of those employed in defence environments.

Appropriate management of job stress is a critical element of good mental health for women personnel in the defence services and requires considerable attention and innovative intervention strategies for the reduction and management of job-related psychological strain.

Yoga has gained an increasing recognition as a tool and effective strategy for the reduction of psychological strain and mental well-being. Recent studies have examined the benefits of yoga in stress reduction and anxiety amelioration across several population groups and within some high-stress occupations, yet limited research has explored these benefits among women personnel working in the military settings. This proposal outlines an intervention design to explore this gap in literature and proposes the application of selected yogic practices on perceived stress and anxiety among women defence personnel.

This study will examine the effect of a 12-week structured selected yogic practice programme on levels of perceived stress and anxiety in women defense personnel. The primary objectives are to measure the amount of change in perceived stress levels from pre-test to post-test and to measure the amount of change in anxiety levels from pre-test to post-test, between the intervention group (received yoga intervention) and control group (received no intervention).

The study will employ a 12-week pre-test post-test control group design to study the effectiveness of selected yogic practice program. Participants will be allocated into intervention group that receive selected yoga program for twelve weeks and in control group (no intervention provided during this period). Perceived stress will be measured using perceived stress scale and anxiety will be measured using state – trait anxiety inventory (STAI).

Quantitative data will be analyze using inferential statistics including computation of post and pre test scores both with and across condition.  All statistical tests will be one tailed and statistical significance level established a priori as p<0.05 and estimations will be made of statistical power and effect size.

Post -test will be compare with pre-test within and across condition groups. Amount of decrease / increase in score is determined for post - test over pre-test within each group. All pre-test and post-test measures of perceived stress and anxiety scores will be compared between intervention and control group with a selected yoga training intervention, estimation of effect size.

A statistical comparison of differences in changes within intervention group and between intervention and control group to determine the intervention effect will be tested and illustrated as per methodology designed.  Since synopsis contains design information and not the results; numeric results will present the outcome after data analysis is done.

This research intends to investigate and gather empirical evidence regarding effectiveness of selected yogic practice as a psychological wellbeing intervention for women serving in defense milieu. By means of a 12-week study of perceived stress and anxiety under a specified design, this research will explore the efficacy of selected yogic practices to promote mental wellbeing of women personnel in high stressed defense environment and it is hoped that study will lend support to the growing trend of incorporating psychological wellbeing interventions for the women personnel, employed in the defense services in high stressed working condition, to maximize their mental efficiency and wellbeing.