Abbreviated progressive muscle relaxation significantly increased mental (Cohen's d 0.32) and physical (Cohen's d 0.32) relaxation in high-stress college students compared to lying quietly.
RCT (n=128)
Random assignment
Does abbreviated progressive muscle relaxation improve physiological and psychological functioning in high-stress college students?
A 20-minute session of abbreviated progressive muscle relaxation significantly improves short-term mental and physical relaxation and heart rate variability in high-stress college students.
Standardized Mean Difference: 0.32
This study’s purpose was to examine the efficacy of abbreviated progressive muscle relaxation (APMR) to enhance physiological and psychological functioning among high-stress college students. Participants (N 128) were undergraduates, 19 years old on average, predominantly female and White, with high Perceived Stress Scale scores. After random assignment, for 20 min, 66 experimental group participants underwent APMR lying down and 62 control group participants lied down quietly. Pre- and postintervention measures included the Endler Multidimensional Anxiety Scale, relaxation items, electrocardiograph heart rate and heart rate variability (HRV), and salivary cortisol. Compared with the control group, the experimental group demonstrated significantly greater increases in mental (Cohen’s d 0.32) and physical (Cohen’s d 0.32) relaxation, and normalized high-frequency HRV (Cohen’s d 0.29), and decreases in low- to high-frequency HRV ratio (Cohen’s d 0.31). Small effect sizes were observed for anxiety, normalized low-frequency HRV, and cortisol. Analyses of the reliability and clinical significance of these changes indicate trends in the expected direction. These findings indicate an APMR intervention can have significant short-term effects, both reducing detrimental and enhancing beneficial functioning in high-stress college students.
Dolbier et al. (Wed,) conducted a rct in High stress (n=128). Abbreviated progressive muscle relaxation (APMR) vs. Lying down quietly was evaluated on Mental relaxation (Cohen's d 0.32). Abbreviated progressive muscle relaxation significantly increased mental (Cohen's d 0.32) and physical (Cohen's d 0.32) relaxation in high-stress college students compared to lying quietly.