Qigong Therapy for Stress Management: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials

Area of Science:

• Integrative and Complementary Medicine
• Behavioral Medicine
• Clinical Psychology

Background:

• Qigong is widely used for stress, anxiety, and depression management.
• No prior systematic reviews have focused on Qigong for stress management.
• This study addresses the need for evidence on Qigong's efficacy for perceived stress.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and analyze the clinical evidence for Qigong therapy in managing perceived stress.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of Qigong interventions based on randomized controlled trials (RCTs).

Main Methods:

• A systematic search was conducted across 11 electronic databases for RCTs.
• Included studies involved participants with perceived stress, irrespective of demographics.
• Nine RCTs from China, South Korea, the US, and Brunei were included after risk of bias assessment.

Main Results:

• The overall quality of included trials was low, with only one high-quality study.
• A meta-analysis of two RCTs showed Qigong significantly reduced perceived stress compared to no treatment (p=0.006).
• Qigong did not show significant effects compared to active controls (p=0.11) and had mixed results for secondary outcomes; no adverse events were reported in most studies.

Conclusions:

• Qigong therapy demonstrates potential for stress management, but definitive conclusions are limited.
• Future research should standardize interventions, use sham controls, and involve larger sample sizes.
• Further high-quality RCTs are necessary to establish Qigong's role in stress management.