Effectiveness of progressive muscle relaxation therapy as a worksite health promotion program in the automobile assembly line

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) as part of a Worksite Health Promotion Program on self-perceived stress, anxiety and depression among male automotive assembly-line workers through a quasi-experimental trial. Two assembly plants were chosen with one receiving PMR therapy and the other Pamphlets. Intention-to-treat analysis was conducted to test the effectiveness of the relaxation therapy. Stress, Depression and Anxiety levels were measured using the shortened DASS-21 questionnaire. Data were analyzed using Chi-square, Independent sample t test and Repeated-measures analysis of variance to test the significance of the effects of intervention (time * group) for the measures of Stress, Depression and Anxiety. Significant favourable intervention effects on stress were found in the PMR group (Effect size=0.6) as compared to the Pamphlet group (Effect size=0.2). There was a significant group *time interaction effect (p<0.001) on Stress levels. Depression and Anxiety levels were minimal at baseline in both the groups with mild or no reduction in levels. The improvement in stress levels showed the potential of PMR therapy as a coping strategy at the workplace. Further research in this field is necessary to examine the beneficial effects of coping strategies in the workplace.

Depressive symptoms in Chinese assembly‐line migrant workers: A case study in the shoe‐making industry

“…Due to lower education and lack of working skills, approximately one‐third of the Chinese migrant workers work in labor‐intensive industries such as textiles, clothing, and footwear (National Burau of Statistics of China, ), and majority of the population work in assembly lines. In China, due to inadequate supervision from Agencies of Labor Inspectorate, assembly‐line work often performed in a workplace environment with physical hazards such as constant loud noise, vibrations, and dangerous machines (Sundram, Dahlui, & Chinna, ). Coupled with the above‐mentioned psychosocial factors associated with assembly‐line work and rural‐to‐urban migration, Chinese assembly‐line migrant workers (AMWs) would be at a particular high risk of developing depression.…”

Stress Reduction Using Bilateral Stimulation in Virtual Reality

“…Recent studies found the use of this technique in various categories of health problems -from everyday tension, headaches, ADHD, psychiatric disorders (anxiety, depression, bulimia nervosa) to stress causing lifethreatening illness [32], [33]. Meta-analyses of studies on effectiveness of Autogenic Training showed that AT had medium to high effects on the main clinical outcomes in comparison with untreated control conditions, moreover these effects are stable in time [34]- [36].…”

“…According to recent studies and metaanalyses PMR is an effective method of tension reduction. It is widely used as a technique supporting psychotherapy, med-ical treatment of various conditions [38] and occupational stress prevention tool [34], [36]. It was proven that long term effect of PMR includes: decrease of salivary cortisol level, blood pressure and heart rate and reduction of anxiety [32].…”

The Effect of Progressive Muscle Relaxation on Post Cesarean Section Pain, Quality of Sleep and Physical Activities Limitation

“…Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) is a technique used to induce a state of deep relaxation through involving systemic sequential muscle tension (for 5-7seconds) followed by relaxation (for 10-12seconds) (Sundram et al, 2016). PMR was developed by Edmund Jacobson and known in the literatures science 1938.…”