Combining group psychotherapy and yoga exercises improves quality of life in mental health professionals: A controlled randomized clinical trial

Purpose - This study aims to investigate the effects of combining 12-week group psychotherapy with yoga exercises on stress perception and quality of life in mental health professionals. Design/methodology/approach - This study was a parallel-arm randomized controlled trial, in which the participants was unaware of which group was the experimental one. Participants involved in our research were assigned to two groups of separate treatment that followed for three months group psychotherapy combined with yoga program for stress management or usual stress coping strategies. Findings - The findings did not reveal a significant difference in stress perception assessed in the two groups either before or after intervention but reveal a significant difference in the quality of life in the two groups before and after the psycho behavioral interventions. Originality/value - The findings did not reveal a significant difference in stress perception assessed in the two groups either before or after intervention but reveal a significant difference in the quality of life in the two groups before and after the psycho behavioral interventions.