Feasibility, Acceptability and Preliminary Efficacy of a Hospital-based Antenatal Yoga Program for Anxious and Depressed Women

Anxiety and depression are the most common psychological symptoms reported in pregnant women and can result in adverse obstetric, neonatal and post-partum mental health outcomes. Although there is a range of effective first-line treatments for anxiety and depression, these treatments are not without limitations. Concerns about the safety of antidepressant medication during pregnancy, lack of access to affordable psychosocial treatments and reluctance to seek mental health care due to stigma may prevent pregnant women from receiving optimal care for their symptoms. Recently, there has been growing interest in alternative and complementary approaches to manage anxiety and depression. These approaches may offer women with antenatal anxiety and depression an alternative treatment option that may be more acceptable and perceived as more holistic and less stigmatizing than conventional mental health care. One way to optimize access to yoga therapy during prenatal care is to implement an antenatal yoga program within a public healthcare system. Accordingly, the overarching aim of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of a hospital-based antenatal yoga program (HB-AYP) plus treatment as usual for anxiety and depression, and obtain preliminary data on its potential efficacy relative to treatment as usual plus biweekly clinical monitoring(TAU) This pilot research will provide much needed preliminary data that will set the foundation for designing a fully-powered prospective randomized controlled trial (RCT) of a HB-AYP. In the long term, it is hoped that this line of research will influence evidence-based clinical guidelines for managing antenatal anxiety and depression and service delivery.