Effects of Progressive Relaxation Exercises

Effects of Progressive Relaxation Exercises on Sleep Quality, Psychological Resilience and Quality of Life in Nursing Students: A Randomized Controlled Trial

When the literature is examined, it is observed that the effects of progressive relaxation exercises on pain, anxiety and sleep quality have been frequently investigated in different populations. Studies conducted with nursing students focus on dysmonorrhea and clinical anxiety and stress . A limited number of studies have focused on the quality of life of students . There is no study examining the effects of progressive relaxation exercises on sleep quality, psychological endurance and quality of life together. Therefore, the aim of our study is to examine the effects of progressive relaxation exercises applied to nursing students on sleep quality, psychological endurance and quality of life. It is thought that our study results will contribute to the literature in terms of their originality.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Progression; Sleep; Nursing Caries
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Progressive Relaxation Exercise

Detailed Description

This research is a randomized controlled trial planned to examine the effects of progressive relaxation exercises on sleep quality, psychological resilience and quality of life in nursing students.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 80
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Turkey (Türkiye)
  • Kütahya, Turkey (Türkiye), 43000
    • Necibe

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Being a student in the Department of Nursing

  • Being willing to participate in the study
  • Not having a chronic disease that may prevent exercise (COPD, heart failure, etc.)
  • Not having a hearing problem
  • Not having a psychiatric diagnosis (major depression, anxiety disorders, etc.) and not using medication for anxiety or depression
  • Having a computer and technological devices at home
  • Being able to use a mobile phone (IOS-Android)
  • Having internet access
  • Being able to speak Turkish
  • Not having used techniques such as meditation, hypnosis, yoga for the last 6 months before the study
  • Not having a neurological, systemic, or psychiatric disease.

Exclusion Criteria:

• • Nursing students who do not volunteer to participate in the study,

  • Those who have any health problems during the application process,
  • Those who cannot continue the study for any reason,
  • Those who want to withdraw from the study with their own consent

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Triple

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Progressive relaxation group; Progressive Relaxation Exercises	Other: Progressive Relaxation Exercise; Progressive Relaxation Exercise Steps
No Intervention: Control group; The students who formed the control group and accepted to participate in the study will be asked to fill out the "Descriptive Characteristics Form", "Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)", "Adult Resilience Scale", and "SF-36 Quality of Life Scale" in the first meeting. After filling out the data collection tools in the first meeting in the classroom, no intervention will be made. At the end of the 4th week follow-up period, separate data collection forms and post-test results will be obtained. The control group will be given a progressive relaxation exercise audio recording and booklets with written instructions stated in the audio recording.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Average sleep quality score	Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index: This scale is a 19-item self-report scale that evaluates sleep quality and disturbances in the past month. The PSQI consists of 24 questions, 19 of which are answered by the participant, while 5 questions are answered by the spouse or roommate. The scale is divided into 7 main components: Subjective Sleep Quality, Sleep Latency, Sleep Duration, Sleep Efficiency, Sleep Disturbances, Sleep Medication Use, and Daytime Dysfunction. Each component is scored between 0 and 3, and these scores give a total result between 0 and 21. A total score above 5 indicates poor sleep quality.	First week, 4th week
Average resilience scores for Adults	The scale containing a total of 33 items is in 5-point Likert type. The scale consists of 6 sub-dimensions. Of these, 'structural style' (3, 9, 15, 21) and 'perception of future' (2, 8, 14, 20) are measured with 4 items each; 'family harmony' (5, 11, 17, 23, 26, 32), 'self-perception' (1, 7, 13, 19, 28, 31) and 'social competence' (4, 10, 16, 22, 25, 29) are measured with 6 items each and 'social resources' (6, 12, 18, 24, 27, 30, 33) are measured with 7 items. In the scale, positive and negative features are on separate sides in order not to cause biased evaluation. Five separate boxes were created for the answers. The scoring method was left free in evaluating the level of psychological resilience as low or high. The validity and reliability Cronbach alpha coefficient of the scale was determined as 0.86 (1) by Basım and Çetin (2011), and 0.89 in this study. Considering that psychological resilience increases as the scores increase, the scoring is done as 1-2-3-4-5 from left to right	First week, 4th week
Avarage Quality of Life scores	SF-36 Quality of Life Scale: The scale consists of 36 items and these provide the assessment of different health dimensions under 8 subscales: 1) Physical function (10 items) 2) Social function (2 items) 3) Role limitations due to physical problems (4 items) 4) Role limitations due to emotional problems (3 items) 5) Mental health (5 items) 6) Energy/vitality (4 items) 7) Pain (2 items) 8) General health perception (5 items) (Ware & Sherbourne, 1992). The scale is assessed by considering the last 4 weeks. A form evaluating the last 1 week was also applied in order to create the acute form. The assessment is made in Likert type (three-point-six-point) except for items 4 and 5; items 4 and 13 and 5 are answered in a yes/no format. Instead of giving a single total score, the scale gives a total score for each subscale separately. The second question of the scale, 'Compared to last year, how do you evaluate your health now?' only includes one-year changes, but this question is not included	First week, 4th week

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Kutahya Health Sciences University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Necibe DAĞCAN ŞAHİN, PhD, Kütahya Health Sciences University, Faculty of Health Sciences; Study Director: Burcu NAL, PhD, Kütahya Health Sciences University, Faculty of Health Sciences; Study Director: Sema ÜSTÜNDAĞ, PhD (c), Kütahya Health Sciences University, Faculty of Health Sciences

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): January 25, 2025
• Primary Completion (Actual): February 25, 2025
• Study Completion (Actual): April 30, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: February 25, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 4, 2025
• First Posted (Actual): March 10, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): August 29, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 25, 2025
• Last Verified: August 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pathologic Processes; Disease Attributes; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Disease Progression
• Other Study ID Numbers: KutahyaHSU-NECİBE-DAĞCAN-0004

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No