Feasibility and Pre-Post Changes in Depression, Anxiety, and Functional Independence Following a Combined Yoga, Meditation, and CBT Intervention for Adults with Spinal Cord Injury
Abstract
Background: Depression, anxiety, and impaired functional independence are common following spinal cord injury (SCI). Evidence for integrated yoga-based psychological interventions remains limited. This pilot study evaluated the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of a combined yoga, meditation, and cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) intervention on depression, anxiety, and functional independence in adults with recent SCI. Methods: We used a single-group pre-post pilot design. We recruited 60 adults (30 males, 30 females; age = 52.3 ± 5.1 years) with traumatic SCI from AIIMS, New Delhi, India, between January and March 2025. Participants completed 10 sessions over 6 weeks of a structured intervention that combined 6 individual CBT sessions with 4 group sessions of adapted yoga and mindfulness meditation. Primary outcomes were depression (Beck Depression Inventory-II), state/trait anxiety (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory), and functional independence (Functional Independence Measure). Secondary outcomes included PTSD symptoms (Post-traumatic Stress Diagnostic Scale). Paired-sample t-tests and Cohen’s d effect sizes were calculated. Results: Significant pre-post improvements were observed for depression (t(59) = 18.42, p < .001, d = 2.38), state anxiety (t(59) = 15.67, p < .001, d = 2.02), trait anxiety (t(59) = 21.33, p < .001, d = 2.75), PTSD symptoms (t(59) = 12.76, p < .001, d = 1.65), and total FIM scores (t(59) = -16.89, p < .001, d = 2.18). Large effect sizes were found across all outcomes. Depression scores decreased from the moderate range to the minimal range, and FIM gains exceeded the minimal clinically important difference for SCI. No adverse events or dropouts occurred. Conclusions: A combined yoga-based psychological intervention is feasible and shows preliminary effectiveness for reducing psychological distress and improving functional independence after SCI. Very large effect sizes warrant a future randomized controlled trial. Findings support integration of yoga, meditation, and CBT into standard SCI rehabilitation in Indian settings. Keywords: Spinal Cord Injury, Yoga, Meditation, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Depression, Functional Independence, Pilot Study
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BibTeX
@misc{lovakumari2026feasibility,
title = {{Feasibility and Pre-Post Changes in Depression, Anxiety, and Functional Independence Following a Combined Yoga, Meditation, and CBT Intervention for Adults with Spinal Cord Injury}},
author = {Dr Kadim Lovakumari and Prof Tosendra Dwivedi},
howpublished = {PsyArXiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.31234/osf.io/9m8vs_v1},
url = {https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/9m8vs_v1/},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Feasibility and Pre-Post Changes in Depression, Anxiety, and Functional Independence Following a Combined Yoga, Meditation, and CBT Intervention for Adults with Spinal Cord Injury
AU - Dr Kadim Lovakumari
AU - Prof Tosendra Dwivedi
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/07
PB - PsyArXiv
DO - 10.31234/osf.io/9m8vs_v1
UR - https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/9m8vs_v1/
AB - Background: Depression, anxiety, and impaired functional independence are common following spinal cord injury (SCI). Evidence for integrated yoga-based psychological interventions remains limited. This pilot study evaluated the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of a combined yoga, meditation, and cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) intervention on depression, anxiety, and functional independence in adults with recent SCI. Methods: We used a single-group pre-post pilot design. We recruited 60 adults (30 males, 30 females; age = 52.3 ± 5.1 years) with traumatic SCI from AIIMS, New Delhi, India, between January and March 2025. Participants completed 10 sessions over 6 weeks of a structured intervention that combined 6 individual CBT sessions with 4 group sessions of adapted yoga and mindfulness meditation. Primary outcomes were depression (Beck Depression Inventory-II), state/trait anxiety (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory), and functional independence (Functional Independence Measure). Secondary outcomes included PTSD symptoms (Post-traumatic Stress Diagnostic Scale). Paired-sample t-tests and Cohen’s d effect sizes were calculated. Results: Significant pre-post improvements were observed for depression (t(59) = 18.42, p < .001, d = 2.38), state anxiety (t(59) = 15.67, p < .001, d = 2.02), trait anxiety (t(59) = 21.33, p < .001, d = 2.75), PTSD symptoms (t(59) = 12.76, p < .001, d = 1.65), and total FIM scores (t(59) = -16.89, p < .001, d = 2.18). Large effect sizes were found across all outcomes. Depression scores decreased from the moderate range to the minimal range, and FIM gains exceeded the minimal clinically important difference for SCI. No adverse events or dropouts occurred. Conclusions: A combined yoga-based psychological intervention is feasible and shows preliminary effectiveness for reducing psychological distress and improving functional independence after SCI. Very large effect sizes warrant a future randomized controlled trial. Findings support integration of yoga, meditation, and CBT into standard SCI rehabilitation in Indian settings. Keywords: Spinal Cord Injury, Yoga, Meditation, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Depression, Functional Independence, Pilot Study
ER -