Comparison of the effects of the three methods of massage, selected yoga exercises and massage-yoga combination on the depression in elderly women

Introduction: The present study aims to compare the effects of massage, selected yoga exercises and massage-yoga combination methods on symptoms of depression. Materials and Methods: According to the research criteria, 60 available samples were selected and randomly divided into three experimental groups and single control one. The Beck Depression Inventory was completed by the examinees before the intervention, two months after its beginning and one month after ending. Each experimental group received one of the massage interventions, selected yoga exercises and massage-yoga combination for eight weeks, three sessions per week and for a period of 40 minutes per session. The data were analyzed using 4 (group) × 3 (measurement) factorial analysis of variance method (ANOVA) and Bonferroni post hoc test was employed to compare the intragroup differences in the measurement steps and intergroup ones. The significance level of alpha was considered to be 0.05. Results: The results showed that there was a significant difference in the level of depression within the three experimental groups of massage (0.001), yoga (0.00) and combination (0.00). There was also a significant difference between the four groups in the depression variable (0.001). But the combined exercise program of massage and yoga had the most effect in improving the symptoms of depression. Conclusion: The results of this research showed that all three methods of massage intervention, selected yoga exercises and the combination of massage and yoga led to the improvement of depression symptom. However, there was a significant difference between the three approaches and the massage-yoga combinative exercise program was found to have the greatest effect on functioning of people with depression.