Moderators of treatment efficacy in a randomized controlled trial of trauma-sensitive yoga as an adjunctive treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder.

OBJECTIVE

This study is a follow-up to van der Kolk et al. (2014), a trial conducted through the Trauma Center at Justice Resource Institute, which demonstrated treatment efficacy and remains the only randomized controlled trial of trauma-sensitive yoga. The present process study extends the outcomes study by examining treatment moderators of the original trial.

METHOD: Sixty-four women with childhood interpersonal trauma histories and posttraumatic stress disorder participated in the interventions: Trauma Center Trauma-Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY) versus active control (women's health education). Analyses explored if adult-onset interpersonal trauma and baseline psychological measures (clinician-rated and self-reported PTSD, dissociation, depression, psychological functioning) moderated PTSD changes.

RESULTS

Three of six measures had small effects in moderating the relationship between adult-onset interpersonal trauma and TCTSY efficacy, in which TCTSY was most efficacious for those with fewer adult-onset interpersonal traumas. Within this subgroup, various levels of all baseline measures except depression indicated that TCTSY was more effective in reducing PTSD than the active control condition.

CONCLUSIONS

By delineating client characteristics most associated with PTSD improvements, practitioners may best target yoga interventions to increase effectiveness. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).