Effectiveness of progressive muscle relaxation training for adults diagnosed with schizophrenia: a systematic review protocol

Abstract

REVIEW QUESTION/OBJECTIVE The objective of this review is to systematically search, appraise and synthesize the best available evidence on the effectiveness of Progressive Muscle Relaxation in the human responses of adults with schizophrenia and no positive symptoms of disease, in any setting, regarding anxiety, social isolation, personal and social functioning, cognition, sadness, conversation, and well-being. More specifically, the review will focus on the following question: What is the effectiveness of Progressive Muscle Relaxation training on anxiety, social isolation, personal and social functioning, cognition, conversation, and well-being in adults with schizophrenia? INCLUSION CRITERIA Types of participants This review will consider studies that include: 1) Adults (aged 18 and over), with no upper age limit. 2) Current (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders fourth edition) Schizophrenia diagnosis, but excluding those with positive psychotic symptoms (namely delusional thinking and/or hallucinations). 3) Any setting where participants live (namely their own house, family house, psychiatric hospitals [acute units], day care hospitals, halfway houses, long-term care facilities, and forensic hospitals). Types of intervention(s) This review will consider studies that assess Progressive Muscle Relaxation (Jacobson’s Model) as an intervention (regardless of the number and duration of sessions, and of the participant’s positioning model). A comparison will be made between patient group/individual Progressive Muscle Relaxation treatment versus no intervention, or another type of intervention referred to as relaxation intervention. Types of outcomes This review will consider studies that include the following outcome measures (using any scientific/standardized measurement scales or questionnaires): Primary outcomes – anxiety, TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS