Document Type : Original research study

Authors

1 MSc of Sport Psychology, Allameh Tabataba’i University, Tehran, Iran

2 MSc of Sport Psychology, Tehran University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of aquatic exercises of Watsu and Norwegian Cardiovascular Fitness Model in reducing PTSD, Anxiety and Depression. Participant was a 17 year old adolescent boy who was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression; A21-session therapeutic Package was performed during 7 weeks for the participant. Measures were administrated twice at pretest and post-test and at a one month follow up. The data was analyzed in graph presentations and using the recovery percentage formula. The findings of this study provided positive support for the effects of hydrotherapy in reducing PTSD. The results showed positive effects of aquatic exercises for PTSD and Trauma severity symptoms and anxiety. There was not a positive effect on depression. Follow up results were the same. Aerobic exercises have a significant effect on mental health and functioning of the human nervous system. Immersion in warm water increases cognitive function, mental relaxation, anxiety reduction and improve the mood.

Keywords

Main Subjects

  1. American Psychiatric Association (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. Washington, D.C: American psychiatric press.
  2. American Psychiatric Association (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorder (5th ed). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing.
  3. Babakhani, F., Baloochi, R., & Jabari, F. (2015). Aquatic exercises for rehabiliation and training. Tehran: Hatmi. (In Persian).
  4. Basoglu, M., Livanou, M., Salcioglou, E., Kalender, D (2003). A brief behavioral treatment of chronic post-traumatic Stress disorder in earthquake survivors: Result from an open clinical trial. Psychological Medicine, 33(4), 7-54.
  5. Beck, A. T., Epstein, N., Brown, G., & Steer, R. (1988). An inventory for measuring clinical anxiety: Psychometric properties. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 56, 893-897.
  6. Benyamini, Y., & Solomon, Z. (2005). Combat stress reactions, posttraumatic stress disorder, cumulative life stress, and physical health among Israeli veterans twenty years after exposure to combat. Social Science Medical, 61(6), 1267-77.
  7. Bisson, J. I., Cosgrove, S., Lewise, C., & Robert, N. P. (2015). Post-traumatic stress disorder. British Medical Journal, 351, h6161.
  8. Blanchard, E. B.; Alexander, J. J.; Buckley, T. C. & Forneris, A. (1996). Psychometric properties of the PTSD checklist (PCL). Behavior, Research and Therapy, 34, 8, 669-673
  9. Cook, J., Maccarty, E., Thorp, S R (2017). Older adults with PTSD: Brief state of research and evidence-based psychotherapy case illustration. The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry، 25(5):522-530.
  10. De Assis, M.,De Mello, M., Scorza, F., Cadrobbi, M., Schooedl, A., Da Silva, A., Albuquerque, M., Da Silva, A., Arida, M (2008). Evaluation of physical activity habits with PTSD. Journal of Clinica Sciences,63(4),50-57.
  11. Diaz, A. B., & Motta, R. (2008). The effects of an aerobic exercise program on PTSD symptom severity in adolescents. International Journal of Emergency Mental Health, 10(1):49-59.
  12. Dougherty, L., Dunalp, E., & Mehler, S. (2004). The rehabilitation benefits of watsu. In H Dull (ed.). Watsu: Freeing the Body in water. Middletown, CA: Harbian Springs.
  13. Driver, S., O’connor, J., & Lox, C. (2004). Evaluation of an aquatics programme on fitness parameters of individuals with a brain injury. Journal of Brain Injury, 18(9),  847-59.
  14. Dull, H. (1997). Watsu: Freeing the body in water. California. Middle-town, CA: Harbian Springs.
  15. Fathi Ashtiani, A, (2010). Psychological scals: Personality assesment and mental health. 25(7), 54-6 (In Persian).
  16. Fleming, S. A., Gutknecht, N. C (2010). Naturopathy and the primary care practise. Journal of Primry Care, 37(1), 119-136.
  17. Fridman, M. J. (1998). Current and future drug treatment for PTSD patients. Annals of General Psychiatriy, 28, 461-468.
  18. Gelder, M. G., Pez-Ibor, J., & Andreasen, N. (2001). Oxford text book of psychiatry. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  19. Goenjian, A. K., Pynoose, R. S., Steinberg, A. M., Najarian, L. M., Asarnow, J. R., & Karayan, I., …, & Fairbamks, L. A. (1995). Psychiatric comorbidity in children after the 1988 earthquake in Armenia. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 348, 1174-1184.
  20. Goodarzi, M, (2003). Examining the validity and relaiebility of Mississippi PTSD Scale. Psychology Journal, 2(26), 153-178 (In Persian)
  21. Hamblen, J. (2007). PTSD in children and adolescents. Available at: http://www.ncptsd.org/facts/specific/fs_children.html [Accessed 20 April 2013).
  22. Hashemi, N., Rajabi, R., & Aghayari, A. (2010). Evaluation of present hydrotherapy protocol for obesity, lumbago, knee arthritis and introducing them according to confirmed standards. (Doctoral Dissertation). Payam Noor University, Tehran (In Persian).
  23. Heyneman, E. K. (2004). Recurrent nightmare, aggressive doll play, separation anxiety and witnessing domestic violence in a 9 year old girl. Journal of Development and Behavioral Pediatrics, 25(6), 419-422.
  24. International SPA Association. (2009). Hydrotherapy- what is it and why aren’t we doing it? Available at: SPA Search (Accessed 17 December 2009).
  25. Kargar, G. A., Ashayeri, H., Amirtash, A (1992). The effect of exercise and physical activity on the performance of the human nervous system in the old age. Thesis of Master Degree, Tarbiat Modarres University. P: 35-39.
  26. Kazemi, A., Bani Jamali, S. H., Ahadi, H., & Farokhi, N. (2012). The effectivness of teaching Behavioral cognitive strategies in reducing secondary PTSD and Psychological problems of veterans with PTSD caused by war. Azad University Journal of Medical Sciences, 22(2), 122-129.  (In Persian).
  27. Komijani, M. (2008). Post traumatic stress disorder. Journal of Precocius Education, 87,  47-51 (In Persian).
  28. Mahmoodi Gharayi, J., Mohammadi, M., Bina, M., Fereshteh, N (2006). The effects of group behavioral therapy after Bam earthquake children’s PTSD: A randomized controlled clinical trial. The Journal of Iranian Children’s Diseases, 16(1), 24-32.
  29. Miller, B., & Keane, C. (1987). Miller-Keane encyclopedia & dictionary of medicine, nursing, and allied health (4th ed.). Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders.
  30. Mooventhan, A., & Nivethitha, L. (2014). Scientific evidence-based effects of hydrotherapy on various systems of the body. Journal of North American Medical Sciences, 6 (5): 199–209.
  31. National Collaborating Center for Mental Health (UK) (2005). Post-traumatic stress disorder: The management of PTSD in adults and children in primary and secondary care. NICE clinical Guidelines, No. 26.
  32. National Institute of Mental Health. (2016). Post-traumatic stress disorder.
  33. Newman, C. L. & Motta, R. W. (2007). The effects of aerobic exercises on childhood PTSD, anxiety and depression. International Journal of Emergency Mental, 9(2), 133-158.
  34. Rakel, M A (2007). Breathing exercises (2nd ed.). In   O. Rakel  (Ed.). Integerative medicine (pp. 991-998), Philadelphia: Saunders Elsevier.
  35. Salcioglu, E., Basoglu, M., & Livanou, M. (2003). Long-term psychological outcome for non-treatment-seeking Warthquake survivors in turkey. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 191(3), 154-160.
  36. Samin, B. (2015). Post-traumatic stress disorder. Availbale at: http://m.migna.ir/vdchwmnx.23nm-dftt2.html [Accessed 2015 February 2017]. (In Persian).
  37. Schnurr, P. P., Lunney, C .A., Bovin, M. J., & Marx, B. P. (2009). Posttraumatic stress disorder and quality of life: Extension ofFindings to veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Clinical Psychological Review, 29(8), 727-35.
  38. Scott, M. (2016). Simply effective, cognitive behaviour therapy. (M. A. Abbasi & M. Chakery Hokmi, translators). Tehran: Nivand. (In Persian).
  39. Sohrabi, F., Jafari Fard, S., Zarei, S., Eskandari, H (2013). Effect of Mindfulness on PTSD (Case Study). Clinical Psychology Journal. 4(16): 31-39 (In Persian).
  40. Spitzer RL, Williams JBW, Gibbon M, First M. The structured clinical interview for DSM-III-R (SCID) I (1992). history, rationale, and description. Archives of General Psychiatry, 49:624-29.
  41. Sharifi, V., Asadi, M., Mohammadi, M., Amini, H., Kaviani, H., Semnani, Y., Shabani, A., Shahrivar, Z., Davari Ashtiani, R., Shooshtari, M., Sedigh, A., Roodsari, M (2004). The Validation and Capacity of Presentation of Persian Version of (SCID) DSM-IV. Cognitive Science News. 6(1 & 2): 10-22 (In Persian).
  42. Weathers,  F. W., Litz, B. T., Herman, D. S., Huska, J. A., & Keane, T. (1993). The PTSD cheklist (PCL). Reliability, Validity & diagnostic utility. Presented at the 9 Th Annual Meeting of the Inernational Society for Traumatic Seress Hissre Studies, Pennsylvania.
  43. Worldwide Aquatic Bodywork Association. (2007). Available at: www.watsu.com [Accessed 2017]
  44. Zoladz, P. (2013). Current status on behavioral and biological markers of PTSD. A search for clarity in a conflicting literature. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 37(5), 860-895.