Effectiveness of a Qigong-based Stress Management Program in Patients with Anxiety Disorder

Lee, Sang Hyuk; Choi, Tae Kyou; Yook, Ki Whan

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
The object of this study was to examine the effectiveness of Qigong-based stress management program in patients with anxiety disorder.
METHODS
An 8-week controlled clinical trial compared 24 patients with anxiety disorder assigned to a Qigong-based stress management program with 22 patients with anxiety disorder assigned to an education control program. Beck depression inventory (BDI), Spielberger trait state anxiety inventory (STAI), Hamilton depression rating scale (HAM-D), Hamilton anxiety scale (HAM-A), and Symptom checklist-90-revised (SCL-90-R) were used to assess the effectiveness of Qigong-based stress management program.
RESULTS
Qigong-based stress management group showed significant improvement compared to the education control group on anxiety symptoms and hostility, but Qigong group showed inconsistent findings on depressive symptoms. Qigong-based stress management group did not show significant improvement on somatization, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, interpersonal sensitivity, or phobic anxiety subscale of SCL-90-R compared to the education control group.
CONCLUSION
This study showed that Qigong-based stress management program can be an effective method for patients with anxiety disorder in relieving anxiety symptoms. However, well-designed randomized controlled trials are needed before these kind of interventions.