Trauma-Sensitive Yoga Perceptions from U.S. Adults with Trauma Exposure

Abstract

Trauma is an experience or set of circumstances that threaten one’s life or perceived sense of safety, and after surviving trauma, adverse effects may continue to impact the individual (American Psychiatric Association, 2022). Gold-standard trauma treatments such as cognitive therapies are limited by high drop-out and non-response rates (Holmes et al., 2019; Varker et al., 2019) leading to a plateau in trauma treatment options (Bryant, 2019). It has been acknowledged that, to maximize treatment effectiveness, patients should be provided with options that align with their needs, identities, and values (Brown & Courtois, 2019). Clinical interest and use of somatic or body-based approaches for trauma care is a current trend in the field. For example, Trauma Center Trauma- Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY; Emerson et al., 2009) is a protocolized yoga intervention that was designed as an adjunct or standalone trauma treatment. Previous research supports the effectiveness of TCTSY on clinical mental health symptoms such an anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress (Price et al., 2017; van der Kolk et al., 2014; Zaccari et al., 2023). This study aims to document perceptions, preferences, and barriers for TCTSY within a sample of U.S. adults with clinically elevated symptoms of posttraumatic stress. The aims of this study include 1) document trauma and posttraumatic stress symptoms; 2) assess perceptions of TCTSY for trauma care; 3) document barriers (e.g., time, cost) and preferences (e.g., session frequency, use of session time, program platform) for a TCTSY program; and 4) compare posttraumatic stress symptoms and TCTSY perceptions and barriers between cisgender men and cisgender women. The results from this study will be used to inform the delivery of trauma-sensitive yoga interventions to align with participant preferences and increase access to trauma care. We are recruiting 128 total participants (64 cisgender men and 64 cisgender women) via CloudResearch Connect to complete an online survey that includes multiple choice and short answer responses. Eligibility requirements: 1) at least 18 years of age, 2) United States resident, 3) fluent in English, 4) identify as a cisgender man or a cisgender woman, 5) endorsed exposure to a potentially traumatic event, and 6) scored a 3 or higher on the Primary Care Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Screen indicating some symptoms of posttraumatic stress. Participants recruited via CloudResearch Connect will be paid $5 for completing the survey (after passing data quality checks).