The Effect of Mindfulness-Based Yoga on Psychological Well-Being and Happiness in Individuals with Schizophrenia: A Randomized Controlled Trial
In brief
Mindfulness yoga raises well-being scores by about 24 points in schizophrenia patients
In a 6-week trial, 45 participants doing mindfulness-based yoga scored 36.5 on a psychological well-being scale versus 12.9 in 46 controls, and reported happiness scores of 21.4 versus 10.6. The program was safe and produced marked improvements, but results come from a single-site study of modest size, so larger trials are needed to confirm durability.
- Journal
- Journal of integrative and complementary medicine (Q1)
- Published
- 20 July 2026
- Study design
- Randomized controlled trial
- Evidence level
- Level 1, High (CEBM 1b)
- Authors
- Aysel Akbeniz, Funda Kavak Budak
- PMID
- 42473344
- DOI
- 10.1177/27683605261469654
Why clinicians should know about it
- Picked for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (paper of the day, 21 July 2026): RCT of mindfulness-based yoga for schizophrenia
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of a mindfulness-based yoga program on psychological well-being and happiness in individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia. METHODS: This randomized controlled trial was conducted between February and August 2024 in two Community Mental Health Centers (CMHCs) located in Malatya, Türkiye. Ninety-six individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to either a mindfulness-based yoga group (n = 48) or a control group (n = 48). The intervention group participated in a 6-week mindfulness-based yoga program consisting of 12 sessions, while the control group received routine CMHC care only. Outcome measures included the Psychological Well-Being Scale (PWB) and the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire Short Form (OHQ-SF). Three participants in the intervention group withdrew consent during follow-up, and two participants in the control group were lost to follow-up. The final analyses included 45 participants in the mindfulness-based yoga group and 46 participants in the control group. RESULTS: No statistically significant differences were observed between the groups at baseline (p > 0.05). Following the intervention, participants in the mindfulness-based yoga group demonstrated significantly higher psychological well-being scores (36.50 ± 4.57 vs. 12.86 ± 3.69, p < 0.001) and happiness scores (21.44 ± 3.55 vs. 10.58 ± 5.64, p < 0.001) compared with the control group. Within-group analyses also showed significant improvements in psychological well-being and happiness in the intervention group (p < 0.001), whereas no significant changes were observed in the control group. No intervention-related adverse events or safety concerns were reported during the study period. CONCLUSIONS: Mindfulness-based yoga appears to be a promising complementary intervention for improving psychological well-being and happiness among individuals with schizophrenia. Further multicenter randomized controlled trials with larger samples and longer follow-up periods are needed to confirm these findings.
Abstract as published, via PubMed.
For healthcare professionals. The summary is generated by AI from the published abstract, and the evidence level is assigned automatically from the study design on the Oxford CEBM hierarchy. Neither is medical advice. Read the full paper before changing practice.