A Systematic Review of Yoga Interventions on the Mental Health of Nursing Professionals and Students
Rahul Geeta Arya, Deepsikha Srivastava, B. R. Divya, Hemant Bhargav
International Journal of Yoga May 5, 2025 DOI: 10.4103/ijoy.ijoy_195_24 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Systematic review Randomized Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 967 |
| Population | Nursing professionals and students |
| Intervention | Yoga |
| Topics | Anxiety Depression |
| Keywords | Burnout Mental health Nursing professionals Nursing students Randomized controlled trial Stress Systematic review Yoga |
| Key findings | Yoga interventions improved mental health outcomes, including stress, anxiety, burnout, and depression, among nursing professionals and students. |
Abstract
This systematic review aimed to evaluate the impact of yoga interventions on preventing and alleviating mental health issues, including stress, anxiety, burnout, depression, and other related factors among nursing professionals and students. The review adhered to the PRISMA guidelines and was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42024512366). A comprehensive literature search was conducted in Google Scholar and PubMed using keywords such as “nursing students,” “nursing professionals,” “yoga interventions,” and “mental health.” Eligible studies were randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published from 1st January 2014 to 31st December 2024, involving nursing population and yoga-based interventions targeting mental health outcomes. The risk of bias was assessed using the CASP tool. The search identified 14 RCTs (967 participants, predominantly female, age range - 18 to 69 years) that met the eligibility criteria. The yoga intervention varied in duration (10 minutes to 1 hour per session), frequency (once to five times weekly), and protocols (Laughter yoga being the most common). Mental health outcomes such as stress, anxiety, burnout, mindfulness, depression, quality of sleep, and life satisfaction were assessed. Most studies reported significant improvements in these outcomes in the yoga intervention groups compared to control groups. Nine studies showed a significant stress reduction, and 3 studies found a decrease in anxiety. No adverse effects were reported, and dropout rates varied between 0% to 52.1%. Yoga was found to be effective in improving mental health and well-being among nursing professionals and students. Yoga mainly reduced stress, anxiety, burnout, and depression, suggesting its potential as a low-cost, accessible intervention for mental health management in this population. Future studies should focus on refining protocols and exploring long-term effects to establish yoga as an integral part of mental health care for nursing professionals and students.
Comparable studies
Other systematic reviews and meta-analyses on anxiety, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 3
- Effects of a Course-Based Yoga Intervention on Perceived Stress and Mindfulness Among Nursing Students: A Quasi-Experimental Mixed-Methods Study Healthcare September 4, 2026
- Development and Testing the Effectiveness of an Online Yoga Psychology–Based Mental Health Promotion Intervention for Adults Psychology and Developing Societies May 1, 2026
- Effect of Yoga Intervention for Health Care Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review. Journal of Integrative and Complementary Medicine July 2026
Cites 7
- Effects of yoga on physical and psychological health among community-dwelling older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis. International Journal of Older People Nursing September 1, 2023
- A Systematic Review of Yoga and Meditation for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Children. Cureus March 1, 2023
- Reduce stress and the risk of burnout by using yoga techniques. Pilot study. Frontiers in Public Health 2024
- A randomized controlled trial on the effects and acceptability of individual mindfulness techniques - meditation and yoga - on anxiety and depression in people with Parkinson's disease: a study protocol. BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies July 17, 2023
- Mindfulness for pain, depression, anxiety, and quality of life in people with spinal cord injury: a systematic review BMC Neurology January 21, 2020
and 2 more in the library