Mental Health Benefits of a Traditional Vegetative Biofeedback Therapy Online Program during the COVID-19 Lockdown: A Controlled Trial
Mandatory lockdown resulting from a pandemic may be effective against the physical impact of the virus; however, the resulting mental strains can lead to the development of several mental disturbances. <i>Taijiquan</i> and <i>Qigong</i> are considered traditional vegetative b...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-09-01
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| Series: | Healthcare |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/10/10/1843 |
| _version_ | 1797407173445156864 |
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| author | Jorge Magalhães Rodrigues Catarina Santos Cristina Ventura Jorge Machado |
| author_facet | Jorge Magalhães Rodrigues Catarina Santos Cristina Ventura Jorge Machado |
| author_sort | Jorge Magalhães Rodrigues |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Mandatory lockdown resulting from a pandemic may be effective against the physical impact of the virus; however, the resulting mental strains can lead to the development of several mental disturbances. <i>Taijiquan</i> and <i>Qigong</i> are considered traditional vegetative biofeedback therapies that allow the practitioner to control the functions and processes of the body through specific movements or stances, breathing techniques, and meditative exercises. This study aims to understand if these techniques can be applied as an online distance therapeutic option to reduce the psychological impact of home confinement and social distancing. Sixty-four participants were recruited and allocated to three groups. The experienced and novice <i>Taijiquan</i> and <i>Qigong</i> participants’ groups received the intervention for 8 weeks while the control group did not receive any intervention. The outcomes were psychological well-being and psychological distress levels and were assessed by the Mental Health Inventory and a written interview. The experienced <i>Taijiquan</i> and <i>Qigong</i> participants achieved significant improvements in psychological well-being and psychological distress. Novice <i>Taijiquan</i> and <i>Qigong</i> participants achieved a significant improvement in anxiety levels. Additionally, the control group showed a significant decrease in psychological well-being. This study suggests that this distance online program of <i>Taijiquan</i> and <i>Qigong</i> is feasible and may benefit the mental health of participants during a lockdown. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T03:37:23Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4cfe885549754e1192242add69434e62 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2227-9032 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T03:37:23Z |
| publishDate | 2022-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Healthcare |
| spelling | doaj.art-4cfe885549754e1192242add69434e622023-12-03T14:45:35ZengMDPI AGHealthcare2227-90322022-09-011010184310.3390/healthcare10101843Mental Health Benefits of a Traditional Vegetative Biofeedback Therapy Online Program during the COVID-19 Lockdown: A Controlled TrialJorge Magalhães Rodrigues0Catarina Santos1Cristina Ventura2Jorge Machado3ICBAS, School of Medicine Biomedical Sciences, University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, PortugalIPTC—Research Department in Complementary Medicine, Portuguese Institute of Taiji and Qigong, 4470-765 Maia, PortugalIPTC—Research Department in Complementary Medicine, Portuguese Institute of Taiji and Qigong, 4470-765 Maia, PortugalICBAS, School of Medicine Biomedical Sciences, University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, PortugalMandatory lockdown resulting from a pandemic may be effective against the physical impact of the virus; however, the resulting mental strains can lead to the development of several mental disturbances. <i>Taijiquan</i> and <i>Qigong</i> are considered traditional vegetative biofeedback therapies that allow the practitioner to control the functions and processes of the body through specific movements or stances, breathing techniques, and meditative exercises. This study aims to understand if these techniques can be applied as an online distance therapeutic option to reduce the psychological impact of home confinement and social distancing. Sixty-four participants were recruited and allocated to three groups. The experienced and novice <i>Taijiquan</i> and <i>Qigong</i> participants’ groups received the intervention for 8 weeks while the control group did not receive any intervention. The outcomes were psychological well-being and psychological distress levels and were assessed by the Mental Health Inventory and a written interview. The experienced <i>Taijiquan</i> and <i>Qigong</i> participants achieved significant improvements in psychological well-being and psychological distress. Novice <i>Taijiquan</i> and <i>Qigong</i> participants achieved a significant improvement in anxiety levels. Additionally, the control group showed a significant decrease in psychological well-being. This study suggests that this distance online program of <i>Taijiquan</i> and <i>Qigong</i> is feasible and may benefit the mental health of participants during a lockdown.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/10/10/1843mental healthtraditional Chinese medicine<i>Qigong</i><i>Taijiquan</i>lockdownCOVID-19 |
| spellingShingle | Jorge Magalhães Rodrigues Catarina Santos Cristina Ventura Jorge Machado Mental Health Benefits of a Traditional Vegetative Biofeedback Therapy Online Program during the COVID-19 Lockdown: A Controlled Trial Healthcare mental health traditional Chinese medicine <i>Qigong</i> <i>Taijiquan</i> lockdown COVID-19 |
| title | Mental Health Benefits of a Traditional Vegetative Biofeedback Therapy Online Program during the COVID-19 Lockdown: A Controlled Trial |
| title_full | Mental Health Benefits of a Traditional Vegetative Biofeedback Therapy Online Program during the COVID-19 Lockdown: A Controlled Trial |
| title_fullStr | Mental Health Benefits of a Traditional Vegetative Biofeedback Therapy Online Program during the COVID-19 Lockdown: A Controlled Trial |
| title_full_unstemmed | Mental Health Benefits of a Traditional Vegetative Biofeedback Therapy Online Program during the COVID-19 Lockdown: A Controlled Trial |
| title_short | Mental Health Benefits of a Traditional Vegetative Biofeedback Therapy Online Program during the COVID-19 Lockdown: A Controlled Trial |
| title_sort | mental health benefits of a traditional vegetative biofeedback therapy online program during the covid 19 lockdown a controlled trial |
| topic | mental health traditional Chinese medicine <i>Qigong</i> <i>Taijiquan</i> lockdown COVID-19 |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/10/10/1843 |
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