It has been revealed in many foreign studies that mental health problems are quite outstanding in old and middle-aged people. The mental health status of old people will not only affect their own health quality but also directly affect the overall health quality of the old population of our country. With the advancing standard of life in recent years, people’s body constitution has been greatly improved. Therefore researchers should pay more attention to the effects of exercise on mental health in order to promote coordinated development of both body and mind. The idea that exercise is good for health has been widely accepted by us. Exercise is gradually being merged into the lifestyles and habits of people. Therefore, this study aims at performing mental intervention with old and middle-aged research objects through Health
Qigong•Liu Zi Jue and attempts to perform a preliminary investigation of the “mind-benefiting” effect of Liu Zi Jue on old and middle-aged people through questionnaires.
1. Objects and methodology
1.1 Research objects
Four observation points were set up in the Region of Beijing. 217 objects are observed (42 males and 175 females). They are randomly divided into a control group of 107 (22 males and 85 females) aged 58.3±9.4, and a Health Qigong•Liu ZiJue practice group (“experimental group” for short hereinafter) of 110 (20 males and 90 females) aged 58.3±9.3. Educational background: 57.2% had junior and senior high school or technical secondary school education; 42.8% had college or higher education.Occupation: 40.2% serve as workers or in the service industry; 22.7% are management personnel; 37.1% are in science or teaching.Members of the experimental group were required to practice, in an organized way, Health Qigong•Liu ZiJue at least 2 times (28~30min each time) a day for 6 consecutive months. Members of the control group were not required to do any specific systematic exercise such as jogging, meditation, or Tai Ji Quan.
1.2 Test method
Three tests were conducted at each experimental spot respectively in the early stage of the exercise, 3 months after the start of the exercise (intermediate stage), and 6 months after the start of the exercise (later stage). Questionnaires were used in the test. Both groups of objects were put to mental state evaluation respectively at the time them were grouped, after 3 months of practice, and after 6 months of practice. The Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS, see Appendix 2), Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS, see Appendix 3), and Selfreporting Inventory (SCL-90, see Appendix 1) in the Manual of Mental Health Rating Scales of Chinese Mental Health Journal were used for the evaluation. According to the unified instructions, the test objects independently completed the questionnaires and the investigators checked the missed items in order to ensure the valid quality of the questionnaires.
All values of test results were imported into Excel and processed with SPSS10.0 statistical software to process the data. Values were expressed in the form of “mean ±standard deviation” and put to t-test.
2. Results
2.1 SAS testing
(1) Overall results of males and females
Table 1 indicates that there was not difference between the anxiety scores of both groups before the experiment (P>0.05). Compared with that of the control group in the later stage of the practice, the heart rate of the experimental group is reduced in the late stage and after statistical treatment, significant difference is found between both groups (P
Table 1. Comparison between Overall SAS Scores of Males and Females ( )
GroupnSAS score (early stage)SAS score (intermediate stage)SAS score (later stage)
Control group10734.51±5.8134.42±6.1334.46±6.42
Experimental group11034.88±6.2333.23±5.71 32.68±5.28#*
Notes: *, P
(2) Results of females
Table 2 indicates that there was not difference between the anxiety scores of both groups before the experiment (P>0.05). Compared with that of the control group in the later stage of the practice, the heart rate of the experimental group was reduced in the late stage and after statistical treatment, significant difference was found between both groups (P
Table 2. Comparison between SAS Scores of Females ( )
GroupnSAS score (early stage)SAS score (intermediate stage)SAS score (later stage)
Control group8534.65±5.6834.20±6.0934.49±6.48
Experimental group9034.93±6.56 33.28±5.99* 32.57±5.57**#
2.2 SDS testing
(1) Overall results of males and females
Table 3 indicates that there was not difference between the SDS scores (indexes) of both groups before the experiment (P>0.05). Compared with that of the control group in the later stage of the practice, the SDS score of the experimental group was reduced in the late stage and after statistical treatment, significant difference was found between both groups (P
Table 3. Comparison between Overall SDS Scores of Males and Females ( )
GroupN SDS index
Early stageIntermediate stageLate stage
Control group1070.45±0.130.45±0.120.46±0.13
Experimental group1100.45±0.120.42±0.11 0.41±0.11 *##
(2) Results of females
Table 4 indicates that there was not difference between the SDS scores (indexes) of both groups before the experiment (P>0.05). Compared with that of the control group in the later stage of the practice, the SDS score of the experimental group was reduced in the late stage and after statistical treatment, significant difference was found between both groups (P
Table 4. Comparison between SDS Scores of Females ( )
GroupN SDS index
Early stageIntermediate stageLate stage
Control group850.46±0.120.46±0.120.46±0.13
Experimental group900.45±0.12 0.42±0.11*## 0.41±0.11*##
2.3 SCL-90 testing
(1) Overall results of males and females
Table 5 indicates that there was not difference between all indexes except paranoia of both groups before the experiment (P>0.05). Compared with that of the control group in the later stage of the practice, the body factor score of the experimental group was reduced in the late stage and after statistical treatment, significant difference was found between both groups (P
Table 5. Comparison between Overall SCL Scores of Males and Females ( )
IndicatorControl group n=107Experimental group n=110
Early stageIntermediate stageLate stage Early stageIntermediate stageLate stage
Somatization1.14±0.101.14±0.091.14±0.081.13±0.091.12±0.091.10±0.08*##
Obsession1.12±0.101.12±0.091.12±0.081.12±0.091.11±0.081.10±0.08
Interpersonal relationship1.07±0.101.07±0.091.07±0.091.06±0.081.05±0.061.05±0.06
Depression1.08±0.081.08±0.081.08±0.071.07±0.081.06±0.06*##1.05±0.05*##
Anxiety1.09±0.091.08±0.091.08±0.091.07±0.081.06±0.06*##1.05±0.06*##
Hostility1.09±0.111.09±0.101.09±0.111.08±0.091.06±0.07#1.06±0.07#
Terror1.06±0.091.06±0.081.05±0.081.04±0.071.04±0.071.04±0.07
Paranoia1.07±0.101.07±0.101.07±0.101.04±0.07#1.04±0.06##1.03±0.05##
Psychosis1.06±0.071.06±0.071.06±0.081.04±0.051.03±0.05##1.03±0.05##
Other1.12±0.121.12±0.121.12±0.111.08±0.08##1.08±0.08##1.07±0.08##
(2) Results of females
Table 6 indicates that there was not difference between the somatization, depression, anxiety, hostility, obsession, interpersonal, and terror factors of both groups before the experiment (P>0.05) but there were differences between the paranoia, psychosis, and other factors. Compared with that of the control group in the later stage of the practice, the body factor score of the experimental group was reduced in the late stage and after statistical treatment, significant difference was found between both groups (P
Table 6. Comparison between Overall SCL Scores Females ( )
Indicator Control group n=85 Experimental group n=90
Early stageIntermediate stageLate stage Early stageIntermediate stageLate stage
Somatization1.14±0.091.14±0.081.14±0.081.13±0.091.12±0.09 1.11±0.08*##
Obsession1.12±0.091.12±0.081.12±0.071.12±0.091.11±0.081.10±0.08#
Interpersonal relationship1.07±0.091.07±0.081.07±0.091.06±0.081.05±0.061.04±0.06#
Depression1.08±0.081.08±0.071.07±0.071.07±0.08 1.05±0.06# 1.05±0.06*##
Anxiety1.09±0.081.08±0.081.08±0.081.07±0.08 1.05±0.07## 1.05±0.06*##
Hostility1.09±0.101.09±0.101.09±0.101.07±0.09 1.06±0.07# 1.05±0.07##
Terror1.06±0.081.06±0.081.06±0.071.05±0.071.04±0.071.04±0.07#
Paranoia1.07±0.081.07±0.091.06±0.09 1.04±0.07# 1.03±0.06## 1.03±0.05##
Psychosis1.05±0.061.05±0.061.05±0.06 1.04±0.06# 1.03±0.05## 1.03±0.05##
Other1.13±0.111.12±0.111.12±0.11 1.08±0.08## 1.08±0.08## 1.07±0.07##
3. Discussion
The idea that physical exercise can improve bed emotions has been accepted by many researchers [1]. It is widely believed in the medical community that physical activities can be used to treat anxiety disorders and depressive disorders. Wang Dongmei et. al. [2] reported that Qigong exercise improved personalities, calmed emotions, and alleviated the stringent state, indicating that Qigong could improve the mental state of man. This SAS investigation indicates that Health Qigong•Liu Zi Jue exercise can alleviate the gloomy and distressed emotions and mental state of old and middle-aged people. And it can also improve the old and middle-aged people’s interest in life, willingness to move, and ability to move and eliminate the disappointment, pessimistic emotions, and gloom-related other perceptive problems.
SDS investigation results indicate that Health Qigong•Liu Zi Jue exercise can significantly eliminate the old and middle-aged people’s failure to rest, hyperaesthesia, and nervousness as well as the bodily signs thereby generated (e.g. trepidation). And it can eliminate anxiety and panic attacks, alleviate persistent anxiety, and all kinds of discomforts of the body.
Research by Xing Cuizhen [3] indicates that health exercise can significantly improve the somatization, interpersonal relationship, depression, anxiety, terror, and psychosis of old and middle-aged people. Analysis of the psychosis, hostility, and obsession factors of SCL-90 has revealed that Health Qigong•Liu Zi Jue has active effects on eliminating the acoasma and thought broadcasting of old and middle-aged people, reducing their hostility, helping them recovering good mental, emotional, and behavior states, and improving their general perceptive disturbances such as “empty mind” and “poor memory”.
Generally speaking, Heath Qigong•Liu Zi Jue can improve the emotions of old and middle-aged people, improve their adaptability to the society, improve their general perceptive disturbances, and actively influence their mental state.
References
[1] Yang Xuejun, Song Mingxue, Hong Wei. Analysis on the Health of the Retired People in DongchengDistrict, Beijing [J]. CHINESE MENTAL HEALTH JOURNAL,1996, 10(6): 258-260. 258-260.
[2] Wang Dongmei, Feng Wenli, Ma Junchi. Relationship between psychological changes and efficacy before and after Qigong treatment of some patients with skin diseases [J].1994:25(4):390—393.
[3] Xin Cuizhen. Effects of physical fitness exercise on mental health of old people [J]. CHINESE JOURNAL OF CLINICAL REHABILITATION, 2004,8(21):4229.
