Mindful Yoga for Postpartum Depression

Summary

This is a parallel-group randomized controlled trial. A total of 198 postpartum women with depressive symptoms (EPDS scores≥8 at baseline) will be recruited and randomized into two groups: 10-week mindful yoga intervention and 10-week psychoeducation program. Clinical assessment of depression, self-report questionnaires and salivary cortisol tests will be performed at baseline, after 10-week intervention, and at 6-month and 12-month follow-ups. The investigators expected that the mindful yoga intervention will reduce depression after 10 weeks compared to psychoeducation. The mindful yoga intervention will further reduce anxiety, stress, improve quality of life and sleep, and steepen diurnal cortisol slopes. These effects will be maintained for at least six months.

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

* Postpartum women aged 18-60 years old.
* The scores of EPDS ≥ 10.
* At least 6 week and up to 1 year after childbirth.
* Giving birth to a single full-term healthy baby (gestation between 37-41 weeks, body weight \> 2.5kg, APGAR score at 5 minutes \> 7).
* Fewer than 10 hours of yoga/Qi gong/Tai Chi or mindfulness/meditation practice in the previous 3 months.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Severe complications after delivery, or their infants are admitted to NICU.
* Regular psychiatric follow-up.
* Currently taking antipsychotic drugs.
* Known pragnancy, or other contraindications to physical exercise (e.g., wound healing situation) according to the body examination by O\&G clinicians at 6 weeks after delivery.

Conditions2

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