Control Group Design: Enhancing Rigor in Research of Mind-Body Therapies for Depression

Table 1

Comparison of intervention and control group conditions in community-based RCTs of yoga for adults with depression.

Author, date	Intervention group(s)	Control group(s)
Woolery et al. (2004) [16]	Group class: Iyengar yoga 1 hour twice per week × 5 weeks	Wait-list control
Sharma et al. (2006) [18]	Home practice after initial group training: Sahaja yoga (meditation with specific hand movements) 30 minutes three times per week × 8 weeks	Placebo control: sham meditation control (hands in different positions, sitting with eyes closed) 30 minutes three times per week × 8 weeks
Butler et al. (2008) [17]	(a) Group class: Hatha yoga + psychoeducation 2 hours per week × 8 weeks + plus 4-hour booster session at week 12; home practice: 30 minutes daily 6 days per week recommended with manual and tapes; (b) Group class: hypnosis + psycho-education 90 minutes per week × 10 weeks plus 4-hour booster at week 12	Active control: psycho-education alone (reading materials—no group sessions)
Krishnamurthy and Telles (2007) [15]	(a) Group class: yoga 30 minutes per week × 24 weeks; (b) Ayurveda herbal therapies	Wait-list control
Field et al. (2012) [14]	(a) Group class: yoga 20 minutes per week × 12 weeks; (b) Individual massages 20 minutes per week × 12 weeks (delivered by researchers)	Usual care control
Shahidi et al. (2011) [19]	Group Laughter yoga 30 minutes × 10 sessions	(a) Active control: group exercise 30 minutes × 10 sessions; (b) Usual care control

The literature review inclusion criteria: community-based, randomized, and controlled studies published in 2000–2012; English; participants with confirmed diagnosis of depression/dysthymia or high levels of depressive symptoms; yoga intervention group. Exclusion criteria: participants who were inpatient/hospital-based; had no clinical or confirmatory diagnosis of depression/dysthymia; nonrandomized and noncontrolled designs; participants were excluded if they reported a psychiatric diagnosis.