The effect of the demonstration-based progressive muscle relaxation technique on stress and anxiety in nurses caring for COVID-19 patients: a randomized clinical trial

Abstract

Background Caring for patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) challenges nurses and causes them to experience stress and anxiety. From this perspective, it is of utmost importance to develop quick and effective intervention strategies to prevent numerous complications. This study aimed to investigate the effect of the progressive muscle relaxation technique, using the demonstration method on the stress and anxiety of nurses who care for COVID-19 patients. Methods This randomized clinical trial was conducted in 2021. Forty-six nurses working in two referral hospitals with wards for COVID-19 patients in Tehran, Iran recruited by convenience sampling method and then randomly assigned to experimental or control groups. The nurses in the experimental group educated the progressive muscle relaxation by the demonstration method, and they were encouraged to practice it. The Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 was utilized to measure the stress and anxiety levels in the nurses. Results Before the intervention, the levels of stress in the experimental and control groups were 13.91 ± 2.41 vs. 14.34 ± 2.74 (p = 0.571), and their anxiety was 13.34 ± 3.41 vs. 12.78 ± 2.21 (p = 0.510), respectively. After the intervention, the levels of stress in the experimental and control groups were 10.95 ± 2.01 vs. 14.17 ± 2.34 (p < 0.001), and their anxiety was 9.47 ± 2.37 vs. 12.91 ± 1.85 (p < 0.001), respectively. Moreover, the levels of stress and anxiety in the experimental group significantly diminished after intervention (p < 0.001), but no significant changes were observed in the control group (p > 0.05). Conclusion Concerning the effectiveness of the progressive muscle relaxation technique in relieving the stress and anxiety of the nurses caring for COVID-19 patients, it is suggested to include this relaxation technique in nursing courses.

Interventions to reduce burnout and improve the mental health of nurses during the COVID‐19 pandemic: A systematic review of randomised controlled trials with meta‐analysis

“…The majority of the participants in the studies tended to be females, except for Yıldırım and Yıldız (2022) with equal distribution and Ganjeali et al. (2022) having a majority of males, i.e., 60.8%.…”

“…(2022) to 484 in Slykerman and Li (2022), with the majority of the studies ( n = 13) having a sample size within the range of 50 to 120. Two studies had below 50 nurses (Ganjeali et al., 2022; Naeim et al., 2021), and Dumarkaite et al. (2023) had more with 168 nurses.…”

“…Four of the studies used some forms of activity as a way of stress release, distraction or motivation to lower the mental health burden on the nurses (Çeli̇k & Kılınç, 2022; Fong et al., 2022; Ganjeali et al., 2022; Goktas et al., 2022), such as colouring or receiving motivational messages.…”

“…Sample sizes of nurses analysed in the studies ranged from 27 in Ferreres-Galán et al (2022) to 484 in Slykerman and Li (2022), with the majority of the studies (n = 13) having a sample size within the range of 50 to 120. Two studies had below 50 nurses (Ganjeali et al, 2022;Naeim et al, 2021), andDumarkaite et al (2023) had more with 168 nurses. Seven studies reported no attrition after randomisation (Calamassi et al, 2022;Ferreres-Galán et al, 2022;Ganjeali et al, 2022;I El-Azzab & T El-Nady, 2021;Naeim et al, 2021;Sun, 2021;Zhou et al, 2022).…”

“…Two studies had below 50 nurses (Ganjeali et al, 2022;Naeim et al, 2021), andDumarkaite et al (2023) had more with 168 nurses. Seven studies reported no attrition after randomisation (Calamassi et al, 2022;Ferreres-Galán et al, 2022;Ganjeali et al, 2022;I El-Azzab & T El-Nady, 2021;Naeim et al, 2021;Sun, 2021;Zhou et al, 2022).…”