Effectiveness Of Relaxation Training Research Articles

The Effectiveness of Relaxation Training in Improving Sexual Function in Women with Vaginismus

The Effectiveness of Relaxation Training in Improving Sexual Function in Women with Vaginismus

The Effectiveness of Relaxation Training in the Quality of Life and Anxiety of Patients with Asthma

With a 5-10% global prevalence, asthma, as a chronic condition which can strongly affect the quality of life of patients and care givers, needs comprehensive approach, including medications and psychological techniques, to get the optimal control. This is why the current study aimed to assess the effectiveness of the Papworth method relaxation training among patients with asthma, considering reduced anxiety and improved quality of life. Through a randomized controlled trial, 30 patients with asthma 20-45 years of age referring to a tertiary university hospital in Tehran enrolled two study groups, including disease cases and controls. The Papworth method of relaxation was used and was finally assessed for its effectiveness by two questionnaires, namely STAI for anxiety and SF-36 for the quality of life. Pre-test and post-test were done for both groups. The scores of the anxiety questionnaire (STAI) before and after the intervention were significantly different, and the mean scores obviously reduced after relaxation training among cases from 102.6 to 79.5. The scores of the QOL grew clearly after relaxation training in the case group from 308.07 to 546.6. As an accessory helpful treatment, relaxation training Papworth method sounds to be perfectly able to control stressful conditions in patients with asthma to prevent disease attacks and improve the quality of life. So, psychological teams can be advised to referral centers for asthma in the relevant clinics to help people get training in this regard.

Effects of relaxation and stress management training on fibromyalgia symptoms in women

This study compared the effectiveness of relaxation training and stress management training in treating anxiety, depression, stress, and pain in women with fibromyalgia. Twenty-two women with fibromyalgia participated in this randomized, controlled trial. They were assigned to stress management (n=7), relaxation training (n=7), and control (n=8) groups. All participants completed the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-42) and the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for pain. The stress management group participated in eight weekly two-hour sessions of a stress management program; the relaxation group participated in eight weekly sessions of relaxation training. Then, participants completed the DASS-42 and VAS again. Analyses of Covariance (ANCOVA) and post hoc analyses were used to compare the participants’ pre- and post-therapy responses and the two treatment types. Both relaxation training and stress management training were found to be effective in treating patients’ anxiety (P= 0.005), depression (P= 0.006), stress (P= 0.002), and pain (P= 0.001). Post hoc analyses indicated that participants in the treatment groups showed improvement compared with those in the control group (all P values< 0.01). However, there was no significant difference in effectiveness between the relaxation training and the stress management training. The relaxation training and stress management training both significantly improved women’s fibromyalgia symptoms (depression, stress, anxiety, and pain).

The Effectiveness of Relaxation Training on Anxiety of Disordered Children's Mothers

This study was carried out in order to determine the effectiveness of relaxation exercises on the anxiety of mothers who have mentally retarded children. The method of this research was semi-experimental and effect study. For this purpose, 64 mothers, 32 of them were healthy children's mothers as a control group, and 32 of them were disordered children's mothers, who had at least one disordered child, example; mentally retarded, autistic, or CP, in rehabilitation centers, as an experimental group, were selected. Relaxation exercises were administrated on experimental group for two months, as every other day. The Beck Anxiety Inventory was administrated on two groups. Obtained data were analyzed by One Way Co-variation Analysis method. Results indicated that after emitting the effect of pre-test to post-test of groups, the difference of anxiety between two groups were meaningful. These results indicated that relaxation exercises were reduced the anxiety of disordered children's mothers.

The Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Relaxation Training and Sleep Hygiene Education for Insomnia of Depressed Patients

Background: Insomnia is a frequent complaint of patients with major depressive disorder. The lifetime prevalence rate of major depressive disorder is 17% (Sadock &amp; Sadock, 2007). Studies have found that a significantly higher percentage of women than men aged 20–55 years report difficulty maintaining sleep (Soares, 2005). Purpose: This scholarly project involved the implementation and evaluation of a relaxation training and sleep hygiene education intervention for female patients who experience major depressive disorder and insomnia. Theoretical Model: Middle-range theory of unpleasant symptoms (Lenz, Pugh, Milligan, Gift, &amp; Suppe, 1997). Sample: A convenience sample of 10 female participants was recruited from an outpatient psychiatric private practice. Methods: Participants attended 4 consecutive, weekly outpatient sessions lasting approximately 1 hr. The initial session consisted of conducting a psychiatric evaluation and administration of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index to measure rating of sleep quantity and quality. Principles of sleep hygiene and relaxation exercises were introduced during the initial session. Subsequent sessions focused on reinforcement of the principles of sleep hygiene and relaxation training. Results: Sleep hygiene education and relaxation training were effective in treating insomnia of depressed patients. Implications for Nursing: Implementation of sleep hygiene education and relaxation training provides nurses with evidence-based treatment alternatives or complements to pharmacotherapy in depressed patients.

Conservative treatments of children with episodic tension–type headache

We aimed to assess the effectiveness of conservative treatments in children with tension-type headaches (TTH). We searched Medline, Embase and the Cochrane Library and performed reference checking. Two independent authors assessed trial quality and extracted data. Analysis was carried out according to type of intervention. In total we included 11 trials (427 TTH patients, age between 7-18 years) in this review. None of the studies were considered to be of high quality. Eight studies evaluated the effectiveness of relaxation training. Four studies included a waiting list or no treatment control group and in one study a placebo was used. We found conflicting evidence about the effectiveness of relaxation therapy when compared with no treatment or other treatments, with Relative Risks varying from 1.4 (0.6-3.2) to 10.6 (1.6-71.3). With regard to all other interventions evaluated (such as biofeedback, cognitive therapy or flupirtin) no evidence is found for or against their effectiveness.

The effectiveness of relaxation training in reducing treatment‐related symptoms and improving emotional adjustment in acute non‐surgical cancer treatment: a meta‐analytical review

Cancer patients often have to deal with severe side effects and psychological distress during cancer treatment, which have a substantial impact on their quality of life. Among psychosocial interventions for reducing treatment-related side effects, relaxation and imagery were most investigated in controlled trials. In this study, meta-analytic methods were used to synthesize published, randomized intervention-control studies aiming to improve patients' treatment-related symptoms and emotional adjustment by relaxation training. Mean weighted effect sizes were calculated for 12 categories, treatment-related symptoms (nausea, pain, blood pressure, pulse rate) and emotional adjustment (anxiety, depression, hostility, tension, fatigue, confusion, vigor, overall mood). Significant positive effects were found for the treatment-related symptoms. Relaxation training also proved to have a significant effect on the emotional adjustment variables depression, anxiety and hostility. Additionally, two studies point to a significant effect of relaxation on the reduction of tension and amelioration of the overall mood. Intervention features of the relaxation training, the time the professional spent with the patient overall (intervention intensity) and the schedule of the intervention (offered in conjunction with or independent of medical treatment to the cancer patient) were relevant to the effect of relaxation on anxiety. The interventions offered independently of medical treatment proved to be significantly more effective for the outcome variable anxiety. Relaxation seems to be equally effective for patients undergoing different medical procedures (chemotherapy, radiotherapy, bone marrow transplantation, hyperthermia). According to these results relaxation training should be implemented into clinical routine for cancer patients in acute medical treatment.

A multifaceted behavioral intervention for pill-taking avoidance associated with tylenol poisoning

The effectiveness of relaxation training, imaginal exposure and in vivo exposure to pills in the treatment of pill-taking avoidance resulting from a fear of poisoning associated with Tylenol was investigated. Following relaxation training and imaginal exposure to vitamin consumption, one session of in vivo exposure to vitamin taking resulted in daily vitamin use. One session of in vivo exposure to aspirin and placebo capsules (substitutes for prescribed medication) resulted in consumption of aspirin as needed and daily ingestion of placebo pills. Interestingly, treatment effects generalized to leftovers and wine, two related phobic stimuli, without additional intervention. At three and six month follow-up, the subject reported maintenance of treatment effects. Psychophysiological assessment data were consistent with the subject's self-report.

Behavioral interventions as adjunctive treatments for chronic asthma.

Results of this review of the behavioral literature on asthma therapy indicate that systematic desensitization, operant interventions, and biofeedback treatments have been successful in altering pulmonary functioning, asthma symptomatology, and/or asthma-related behaviors, whereas some evidence for the limited effectiveness of relaxation training has been demonstrated. The clinical usefulness of these techniques remains open to interpretation. It cannot be said, however, that the results reported represent the definitive statement regarding the usefulness of these interventions, due to the lack of methodological sophistication evident in this body of research. Behavioral investigators currently interested in this area have the opportunity to design and implement research strategies which attend to sound methodological considerations and which may present a clearer demonstration of the efficacy of the adjunctive behavioral treatments which have been used with asthma patients for the past several decades.

The Assessment of Nausea and Vomiting

Given the diversity of assessment methodologies in previous studies, and given the increasing attention being shown in studies in which nausea and vomiting are used as outcome measures, it is reasonable to expect that there are more questions on the assessment of nausea and emesis than there are answers. There is little consensus on the efficacy of various approaches used to help control chemotherapy-induced nausea and emesis. There is also little consensus on the appropriate assessment techniques for their measurement. While there is room for much controlled experimentation and study of the ways to assess nausea and emesis, a review of past studies indicates several guidelines that should be kept in mind. The first of these is that nausea is a subjective phenomenon. It exists only insofar as it is defined by the patient. The clinical reality is that patients' decisions to delay or terminate chemotherapy are based on their subjective evaluations of the side effects, not on evaluations made by a clinician or others. With this in mind, a self-report approach to the assessment of nausea appears the most reasonable at this time. On the other hand, while vomiting does have subjective aspects, it represents a behavior that may be reliably observed by others. Thus, it is appropriate that observer ratings be obtained whenever feasible. The use of such indirect measures of nausea and vomiting as time to food intake, appetite change, and other measures of patient well-being should be considered whenever feasible. As with all measures, the cost in patient time needs to be balanced against the scientific needs of any study quantifying nausea and vomiting. While direct, physiologic measures would provide an important external reference to the assessment of nausea and vomiting, at the present time, these appear useful only in animal studies. The fact that nausea and vomiting can occur independently points to the validity of their assessment as separate behaviors. It is also important to note that their frequency, severity, and duration are separable phenomena. A complete assessment of nausea and vomiting responses should include separate measures of frequency, severity, and duration. Anticipatory nausea and vomiting are clinical phenomena that appear to occur with a reasonable enough frequency so that their measurement would be important in clinical studies.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Adjective Generation Technique: Assessment Measure for Training in Progressive Relaxation

The sensitivity of the Adjective Generation Technique to changes in anxiety following a progressive relaxation session was described for 13 undergraduates who reported significantly less anxiety following a relaxation procedure. Scores correlated .79 with the Spielberger State Anxiety Scale. The advantages of using the adjective technique for assessing the effectiveness of relaxation training were discussed.

Effect of relaxation training on students' persistence and academic performance.

Considering anxiety to be a major debilitative factor among high-risk students, an attempt was made to evaluate the effectiveness of relaxation training on students' persistence and academic performance. Although 15 EMG-biofeedback subjects showed greater persistence (contact hours) than the 14 subjects given progressive relaxation, both techniques had beneficial effects on academic performance compared to 12 no-treatment controls.

Effectiveness of relaxation training in reducing the aversiveness of chemotherapy in the treatment of cancer

Progressive muscle relaxation training was used to reduce the conditioned negative responses developed by a 30-yr-old cancer patient undergoing chemotherapy treatment. In a design that included Baseline, Phase 1 therapist-directed relaxation. Phase 1 patient-directed relaxation, Phase 2 therapist-directed relaxation, and Phase 2 patient-directed relaxation sessions, the patient underwent therapist-directed or self-directed relaxation training immediately before and during 10 consecutive chemotherapy treatments. Results indicated tha during the therapist-directed phases and one or both of the patient-directed phases the patient showed reductions in negative affect, frequency of vomiting, and post-session physiological arousal. It was concluded that progressive muscle relaxation training may be an effective procedure for reducing the adverse side effects of cancer chemotherapy.

Relaxation training and attention placebo in the treatment of severe insomnia.

This study compared the effectiveness of progressive relaxation training with and without a supplementary relaxation recording, which the subjects played at home, and an attention placebo manipulation in the modification of severe insomnia in adult volunteers. The results indicated that the relaxation training procedures were significantly more effective than placebo and no-treatment controls in modifying several parameters of sleeping behavior, in reducing consumption of sleep-inducing medication, and in influencing a self-report anxiety measure. The supplementary relaxation tape did not increase the effectiveness of relaxation training conducted in the clinic, and there was no difference in the efficacy of the placebo and no-treatment conditions. Physiological data gathered during the last treatment session indicated few significant correlations between reductions in arousal associated with relaxation training and treatment outcome. Recent years have witnessed increasing interest in the treatment of insomnia from a behavioral framework. Case studies and uncontrolled group investigations suggesting the effectiveness of relaxation training techniques and stimulus control procedures (Bootzin, 1972; Geer & Katkin, 1966; Jacobson, 1964; Kahn, Baker, & Weiss, 1968) have given rise to controlled studies. Thus far this research has indicated that relaxation training procedures are effective in modifying several parameters of sleeping behavior in volunteer insomniacs. However, the mechanism(s) by which this training operates have not been clearly identified. One possibility is that this technique works because of its placebo value. Relaxation training would seem to have high face validity for the treatment of insomnia, and the impressive proprioceptive muscle feedback often associated with the technique may add to its credibility, Although a number of studies have attempted to investigate this issue (Borkovec & Fowles, 1973; Borkovec, Kaloupek, & Slama, 197S; Borkovec, Steinmark, & Nan, 1973; Haynes, Woodward, Moron, & Alex