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The Effect of a Combined Mindfulness and Yoga Intervention on Soldier Mental Health in Basic Combat Training: A
Thomas H Nassif1, Ian A Gutierrez1, Carl D Smith1
1Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, 503 Robert Grant Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA.
Background:
Depression, anxiety, and sleep problems are prevalent in high-stress occupations including military service. While effective therapies are available, scalable preventive mental health care interventions are needed. This study examined the impact of a combined mindfulness and yoga intervention on the mental health of soldiers in Basic Combat Training (BCT).
Methods:
U.S. Army soldiers (N = 1,896) were randomized by platoon to an intervention or training-as-usual condition. Soldiers in the intervention condition completed Mindfulness-Based Attention Training (MBAT), engaged in daily 15 min mindfulness practice, and participated in 30 minutes of hatha yoga 6 days per week. Surveys were administered at baseline (T1, prior to training), week 4 of BCT (T2), week 6 (T3), and week 9 (T4).
Results:
A significant time-by-condition interaction predicting positive screens for depression found that screens decreased at a faster rate from T1 to T4 in the intervention condition (-12.6%) compared to training-as-usual (-7.2%) (b = -0.18, SE = 0.07, p = 0.028). While positive anxiety screens decreased over time across conditions, the time-by-condition interaction found no significant differences in the rate of these decreases by condition (b = 0.09, SE = 0.09, p = 0.273). A significant time-by-condition interaction predicting positive screens for sleep problems found that sleep problems decreased in the intervention condition (-1.4%) but increased in training-as-usual (2.0%) (b = -0.68, SE = 0.16, p = 0.027).
Conclusion:
The mindfulness and yoga intervention was associated with a greater reduction in positive screens for depression and sleep problems among soldiers during high-stress training. Limitations include reliance on self-report and the inability to disaggregate the effects of mindfulness versus yoga. Mindfulness and yoga may enable personnel in high-stress occupations to sustain their mental health even in the context of significant psychological demands. This trial is registered with NCT05550610.
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