The Effects of Progressive Muscle Relaxation Therapy in Patients With Schizophrenia

Taipei Medical University75 enrolled

Overview

This study applied a randomized parallel case-controlled design. The study purpose was to evaluate the effects of progressive muscle relaxation on anxiety, psychiatric symptoms and quality of life among patients with chronic schizophrenia compared with an active control.

Background: Anti-psychotic drugs are limited in their ability to improve psychiatric symptoms, quality of life, and anxiety status in patients with chronic schizophrenia. Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) can potentially reduce anxiety status and improve subjective welling in acute patients. It is an ideal rehabilitation intervention for patients with chronic schizophrenia. However, no study has investigated the effects of PMR on outcomes among patients with chronic schizophrenia. Design: This study applied a randomized parallel case-controlled design. Methods: Hospital-based randomized control trial in Taiwan. Eighty subjects with chronic schizophrenia were recruited from a psychotic ward and randomized into PMR, or control groups. Patients in the intervention group participated in progressive muscle relaxation for 12 weeks; while patients in the control group members received supportive treatment-as-usual (TAU). All participants completed anxiety, psychotic syndromes and quality of life measures at baseline, 3-month, and 3-month follow-up.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Masking

SINGLE

Enrollment

Conditions

Affective Disorders Psychotic Disorder

Interventions

progressive muscle relaxationBEHAVIORAL

intervention group: The experimental group received muscle relaxation training once a week for 3 consecutive months. The results were measured and followed up after 3 months.

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 20 YearsMax age: 65 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Clinical diagnosis of Schizophrenia * Without the risk of self-injury and violence * Patients aged from 20-65 years old * Had no alcohol and drug abuse * Can use Mandarin or Taiwanese to communicate Exclusion Criteria: * Patients with another psychiatric comorbidity * Patients with musculoskeletal problems * patients who cannot sit last for 50 minutes * Had received progressive muscle relaxation training within the last year * Diagnosis of confirmed cardiovascular disease

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Quality of life simplified Chinese versions of the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire were used

a 28-item questionnaire rated on a five-point Likert scale with four domains measuring: psychological health, physical health, social relationships and environment.so that higher scores refer to high QOL.

Time frame: Measuring changes in quality of life from baseline to 6 months.

Secondary Outcomes

Anxiety Scale

State anxiety was assessed by the State anxiety inventory (SAI) of Spielberg (1984). The range of possible total scores is 20-80. Higher scores indicate higher levels of anxiety.

Time frame: measured at baseline, 3-month, and 3-month follow-up

Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS)

The instrument was developed by Kay et al. (1987) to assess psychopathology of schizophrenia which includes: positive, negative, general psychopathology symptoms.

Time frame: measured at baseline, 3-month, and 3-month follow-up

Data from ClinicalTrials.gov

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