Effect of Mindfulness Yoga on Depression Severity, Self-Esteem, and Quality of Life in Middle-Aged Men

BACKGROUND: We aimed to conduct a mindfulness yoga program to treat the psychological problems of middle-aged men by examining the effects of a mindfulness yoga program on depression, self-esteem, and quality of life in this population. METHODS: The participants included 50 middle-aged men (aged 40–60 yr) living in Seongnam-si, Korea. Twenty-five men were randomly assigned to the experimental group and 25 were assigned to the control group. The mindfulness yoga program was conducted twice a week for 12 weeks, and each session lasted approximately 75 min. Before the first session, a pre-test was conducted, after which the program began. Questionnaires were completed after the 4th, 8th, and 12th weeks of the program, and the control group underwent psychological tests at the same time points. A two-way (2 × 4) repeated measures analysis of variance was conducted, and when the interaction effect was significant, a post-hoc test (Bonferroni) was performed. RESULTS: In the intervention group, depression severity significantly decreased (P<0.001) and self-esteem significantly increased (P<0.01). Furthermore, the intervention group also showed a significant increase in psychological (P<0.001), social (P<0.001), and overall quality of life (P<0.001) among the sub-dimensions of quality of life. CONCLUSION: Middle-aged men should be made aware of the usefulness of mindfulness yoga and encouraged to participate in such programs. Mindfulness yoga may be considered as an alternative treatment strategy that promotes the natural healing and management of psychological issues faced by middle-aged men.