The Effect of Progressive Muscle Relaxation Exercises Applied to Caregivers of Palliative Care Patients on Stress Coping Styles and Anxiety Levels: A Randomised Controlled Trial.
Gülcan Bahcecioglu Turan, Zülfinaz Özer, Cuma Demir
PMID 39953943WHAT IT FOUND
Caregivers of palliative care patients in the group that received nurse teaching, audio-guided progressive muscle relaxation, WhatsApp reminders and weekly calls reported less anxiety and more helpful coping.
Key findings
01The experimental group's post-test anxiety score was 35.57, compared with 61.12 in the control group, on a 20 to 80 scale.
02Within the experimental group, self-confident approach scores rose from 5.96 to 16.33 and helpless approach scores fell from 13.93 to 9.57.
03The control group had no statistically significant pre-post change on anxiety or coping scores.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The sample was small and came from one university hospital palliative care unit, so the authors state the results cannot be generalised. Caregivers knew which group they were in; only analysis and interpretation were blinded. The intervention was practised at home with WhatsApp reminders, and the authors list control of the home protocol as a limitation. Outcomes were self-reported anxiety and coping scales, with no objective clinical or patient outcomes measured. The paper describes the groups as homogeneous, but the table shows a baseline difference in one coping score, which could affect interpretation. The control group received no active comparison, and the intervention included nurse teaching, audio guidance, WhatsApp reminders and weekly calls, so the contribution of any single component cannot be separated.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that progressive muscle relaxation alone reduced anxiety or improved coping. The intervention also included nurse teaching, audio guidance, WhatsApp reminders and weekly calls, and the control group received no active comparison, so the contribution of any single component cannot be separated.