Trauma-Sensitive Yoga for Female Veterans With PTSD Who Experienced Military Sexual Trauma

The VR-12 is a12-item self-rating scale that assess health-related quality of life in veterans and includes 8 concepts commonly represented in health surveys: physical functioning, role functioning physical, bodily pain, general health, vitality, social functioning, role functioning emotional, and mental health. Results are expressed in terms of two meta-scores: the Mental Component Summary and the Physical Component Summary. The Mental Component Score (MCS) measures mental aspects of quality of life and ranges from 0 (extremely poor mental health) to 100 (extremely good mental health). The VR-12 is veteran population-normed with each component to have a mean score of 50 and a standard deviation of 10. Scores greater than 50 represent above average health status (better outcomes). The change in the mean MCS from baseline to 3-months post-treatment are presented here.

The VR-12 is a 12-item self-rating scale that assess health-related quality of life in veterans and includes 8 concepts commonly represented in health surveys: physical functioning, role functioning physical, bodily pain, general health, vitality, social functioning, role functioning emotional, and mental health. Results are expressed in terms of two meta-scores: the Physical Component Summary and the Mental Component Summary. The Physical Component Score (PCS) measures physical aspects of quality of life and ranges from 0 (extremely poor physical health) to 100 (extremely good physical health), thus has a possible range of 0-100. The VR-12 is veteran population-normed with each component to have a mean score of 50 and a standard deviation of 10. Scores greater than 50 represent above average health status (better outcomes).

The Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) contains three questions regarding pain severity. Pain severity is measured according to the worst pain experienced in the last three days, average pain in the last three days, and current pain; with each rated on an ordinal scale from "0" = "no pain" to "10" = "pain as bad as you can imagine." The pain severity score is the mean of the three pain severity item scores, with a potential range of 0-10; higher scores indicate worse outcomes.

The Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) contains seven questions regarding pain interference that are rated on an ordinal numerical scale with anchors of 0 (no pain/interference) to 10 (maximum pain/interference). Pain interference assesses how that pain has affected general activity, mood, walking ability, normal work, relations with others, sleep, and enjoyment of life. The pain interference score is the mean of the seven pain interference item scores, with a potential range of 0-10; higher scores indicate worse outcomes.

C-reactive protein (CRP) is a non-specific marker of inflammation. Blood samples of 25 ml were drawn into EDTA-containing (purple top) tubes and stored in a -80o freezer until analysis. The normal range is 8-10 mg/L. Higher levels of CRP indicate worse outcomes. The unit of analysis is the natural log (LN) of raw data (mg/L).

IL-6 is a pro-inflammatory cytokine. Blood samples of 25 ml were drawn into EDTA-containing (purple top) tubes and stored in a -80o freezer until analysis. The normal range is < 5.0 pg/mL. Higher values indicate more inflammation (worse outcomes). The unit of analysis in these results is the natural log (LN) of the value (pg/mL).

IL-10 is an anti-inflammatory cytokine. Blood samples of 25 ml were drawn into EDTA-containing (purple top) tubes and stored in a -80o freezer until analysis. The range of normal values is 4.8 - 9.8 pg/mL. Values out of range can indicate inflammatory dysregulation.

The Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II) is a 21-question multiple-choice self-report inventory widely used for assessing the severity of depression. The BDI-II total score is the sum of the 21 items, with a possible range of 0-63. Higher scores indicate worse outcomes.

The Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) is a brief, 36-item, self-report questionnaire designed to assess multiple aspects of emotion dysregulation. The measure yields a total score as well as scores on six scales derived through factor analysis. The DERS total score is the mean of the 36 items score, with a potential range of 0-100. High scores indicate worse outcomes.

Change in the PROMIS v2.0 - Ability to Participate in Social Roles and Activities -Short Form 4a (T-score) assesses the perceived ability to perform usual social roles and activities. Four items are worded negatively and are scored on a 5-point scale (5=never to 1= always). Responses are reverse-coded so that higher scores represent fewer limitations (better abilities). PROMIS measure scores are computed to a T-score, where 50 represents the mean for US general population, and 10 is the standard deviation. Within group differences in T-scores (change scores) from baseline to 3-month follow up (3-month follow up T-score minus baseline T-score) were calculated. Positive change scores are indicative of improvement in perceived ability to participate in social roles and activity at the study endpoint.

The PROMIS v2.0 - Emotional Support 4a measure contains 4 items that assess perceived feelings of being cared for, valued, and having confidant relationships. Items are scored on a 5-point scale. Scores higher than 50 indicate more emotional support than the population mean. PROMIS measure scores are computed to a T-score, where 50 represents the mean for US general population, and 10 is the standard deviation. Within group differences in T-scores (change scores) from baseline to 3-month follow up were calculated (3-month follow up T-score minus baseline T-score). Positive change scores are indicative of improvement in perceived emotional support at the study endpoint.

The 4-item PROMIS v2.0 - Satisfaction with Social Roles and Activities 4a was administered to participants at baseline and at 3-months post-intervention. The measure assesses satisfaction with performing social roles and activities. Items are scored on a 5-point scale and then reverse coded so that higher scores reflect great abilities to participate. Scores higher than 50 indicate higher perceived satisfaction than the population mean i.e., better outcomes. PROMIS measure scores are computed to a T-score, where 50 represents the mean for US general population, and 10 is the standard deviation. Within group differences in T-scores (change scores) from baseline to 3-month post-intervention were calculated (3-month follow up T-score minus baseline T-score). Positive change scores are indicative of improvement in satisfaction with social roles and activities at the study endpoint.

The PROMIS v2.0 - Social Isolation 4a includes 4 items that assess feelings of isolation, companionship, and trust. The items scored on a five-point scale ("never" to "always"). PROMIS measure scores are computed to a T-score, where 50 represents the mean for US general population, and 10 is the standard deviation. Scores higher than 50 indicate more social isolation, i.e. worse outcomes. Within group differences in T-scores (change scores) from baseline to 3-month post-intervention were calculated (3-month follow up T-score minus baseline T-score). Positive change scores are indicative of increased social isolation at the study endpoint; negative change scores indicate decreased social isolation (better outcomes).

The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) is a self-report scale consisting of 19 items that produce a global sleep quality score and the following 7 component scores: sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep duration, habitual sleep efficiency, sleep disturbance, use of sleeping medications, and daytime dysfunction. Total score is reported here and has a potential range of 0-21. Higher scores indicate poorer sleep quality.