Study design (if review, criteria of inclusion for studies)
Randomized controlled trial
Participants
22 adult patients with CF
Interventions
Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR); standard pulmonary rehabilitation (PR). Patients were randomly assigned to either the intervention group (PR + PMR) or the control group (PR only).
Outcome measures
Assessments were performed at baseline, after 21 days of intervention, and at the 48-day follow-up. Outcome measures included the CFQ-R for quality of life, the HADS for mental health, and the PSQI for sleep.
Main results
Compared to the control group, participants who practiced PMR experienced significant reductions in anxiety (p = 0.05) and depression (p = 0.02) at the final assessment. A significant improvement in sleep quality was also observed (p < 0.01). No relevant differences were found in pulmonary function or performance on the six-minute walk test.
Authors' conclusions
Integrating PMR into pulmonary rehabilitation programs may be an effective strategy for improving mental health and sleep in patients with CF. Due to its accessibility and ease of implementation, PMR could be adopted as a complementary method in the holistic care of these patients.
Keywords: non pharmacological intervention - devices OR physiotherapy; non pharmacological intervention - psyco-soc-edu-org; Relaxation Therapy; Behavioural interventions;