Yoga for depression and anxiety symptoms in people with cancer : a systematic review and meta‐analysis

Objective: Cancer and its treatment can lead to a variety of physical and emotional concerns impacting on those affected, including subclinical or clinical depression and anxiety, which in turn have a significant impact on wellbeing, quality of life and survival. The aim of this review was to evaluate the effect of yoga‐based interventions on self‐reported depression and anxiety symptoms in people with cancer in randomized controlled trials. Method: Six databases were searched to identify relevant studies. Systematic review procedures were followed including a quality assessment. Meta‐analysis of suitable studies was conducted. Results: 26 studies from our search criteria were eligible for inclusion for depressive and 16 for anxiety symptoms. Meta‐analyses revealed evidence for significant medium effects of yoga on depression symptoms (N=1,486, g=‐0.419, 95% CI=‐0.558 to ‐0.281, p<0.001) and anxiety (N=977, g=‐0.347, 95% CI=‐0.473 to ‐0.221, p