Effectiveness of the relaxation group in a mental health unit: a pilot study

Abstract

Rationale: relaxation techniques have shown effectiveness in the treatment of anxiety disorders (AD) and in improving quality of life. In the Mental Health Unit (MHU) of Torrent, relaxation groups for AD delivered by nursing are held. Objective: the effectiveness of the relaxation techniques delivered in groups by nursing in the MHU of Torrent was evaluated. Methodology: a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design. The sample consisted of 49 users, who participated in the first six groups delivered in the MHU of Torrent. Each group consists of eight sessions. Their contents are: diaphragmatic breathing, muscle relaxation, autogenic relaxation, visualization, distraction techniques and reinforcing activities. Psychopathological and treatment satisfaction variables were studied. The Symptom Checklist-90-R (SCL-90-R), the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Inventory (GADI) were used in the pretest. In the posttest, these tests and the Treatment Perceptions Questionnaire were used. Results: the posttest scores were significantly lower than the pretest scores on the variables: somatization, obsessions and compulsions, depression, anxiety, phobic anxiety, psychoticism and the global severity and positive symptom distress indices of the SCL-90-R; state and trait anxiety of the STAI; and generalized AD of the GADI. Conclusions: these results suggest the effectiveness of holding the relaxation group for AD and indicate the relevance of carrying out future research on its effectiveness, longitudinal studies being of interest.