The Effect of Progressive Relaxation Exercises and Planned Education on Menopausal Symptoms, Perceived Stress, and Anxiety in Menopausal Women

The Effect of Progressive Relaxation Exercises and Planned Education on Menopausal Symptoms, Perceived Stress, and Anxiety in Menopausal Women

Study Overview

• Status: Active, not recruiting
• Conditions: Anxiety; Menopause; Menopausal Symptoms; Perceived Stress
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Progressive relaxation; Other: Planned education

Detailed Description

The study will be conducted with women who are in the menopausal period. Data will be collected using the Personal Information Form, Menopause Symptoms Assessment Scale, Perceived Stress Scale and Beck Anxiety Scale.

Study; It will be divided into three groups: progressive relaxation exercise group, planned training group and control group. A total of 144 participants, 48 for each group, were planned to be included in the sample.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 144
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Turkey (Türkiye)
  • Merkez
    • Sivas, Merkez, Turkey (Türkiye), 00058
      • Sivas Cumhuriyet University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

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

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Not having communication and perception problems
• Being in menopause
• Not having a mental illness diagnosis
• Voluntary participation in the study

Exclusion Criteria:

• Having communication and perception problems
• Not being in menopause
• Not having a mental illness diagnosis
• Not being a volunteer to participate in the study

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: progressive relaxation exercise; Progressive relaxation exercises combine deep breathing with the contraction and relaxation of muscle groups such as the hands, arms, upper arms, feet, lower legs and calves, hips, abdomen and lower back, chest, face, shoulders and back, neck, jaw, lips, eyes, and forehead. After taking a deep breath, the muscles are tensed, this tension is maintained for 5-10 seconds, and then the muscles are relaxed (10-20 seconds). When a muscle is tense, the deeper the tension, the deeper the relaxation will be when it is released. During the exercise, the individual is asked to continue breathing in slowly and deeply through the nose and exhaling through the mouth.	Behavioral: Progressive relaxation; Progressive relaxation exercises begin with breathing exercises and continue with muscle stretching and relaxation exercises, lasting an average of 30 minutes.
Experimental: planned education; The topics covered in the educational content include: What menopause is, causes of menopause, factors affecting the onset of menopause, complaints during menopause, general symptoms of menopause, nutrition during menopause, sleep during menopause, emotional problems during menopause, and coping strategies.	Other: Planned education; The training group will receive pre-planned training in accordance with the literature, delivered as group training in line with adult learning principles.
No Intervention: control group; The control group will not receive any intervention; only the Perceived Stress Scale, Menopause Symptom Assessment Scale, and Beck Anxiety Scale will be administered as pre-tests and post-tests.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Perceived Stress Scale	The scale consists of 10 items and is evaluated based on a total score. The scale is scored on a scale of 1-5. The total score ranges from 10 to 50, and an increase in the score indicates an increase in perceived stress level. The scale is assessed before any training or relaxation exercises during the initial encounter with women.	Beginning
Beck Anxiety Scale	The scale ranges from a minimum of 0 to a maximum of 63 points. However, based on the scores obtained on the scale, patients' anxiety levels are classified as follows: 0-7 points is low, 8-15 points is mild, 16-25 points is moderate, and 26-63 points is high anxiety. A high score indicates that the individual is experiencing a high level of anxiety.The scale is assessed before any training or relaxation exercises during the initial encounter with women.	Beginning
Menopause Symptom Assessment Scale	The scale consists of 11 items and 3 subscales. An increase in the total score obtained from the scale indicates an increase in the severity of complaints and, consequently, a negative impact on quality of life. The lowest possible score on the entire scale is 0, and the highest is 44.The scale is assessed before any training or relaxation exercises during the initial encounter with women.	Beginning

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Perceived Stress Scale	The scale consists of 10 items and is evaluated based on a total score. The scale is scored on a scale of 1-5. The total score ranges from 10 to 50, and an increase in the score indicates an increase in perceived stress level. The scale is administered to the women again one month after the planned training and relaxation exercises are implemented.	One month after relaxation exercises and planned training practices
Beck Anxiety Scale	Description: The scale ranges from a minimum of 0 to a maximum of 63 points. However, based on the scores obtained on the scale, patients' anxiety levels are classified as follows: 0-7 points is low, 8-15 points is mild, 16-25 points is moderate, and 26-63 points is high anxiety. A high score indicates that the individual is experiencing a high level of anxiety.The scale is administered to the women again one month after the planned training and relaxation exercises are implemented.	One month after relaxation exercises and planned training practices
Menopause Symptom Assessment Scale	Description: The scale consists of 11 items and 3 subscales. An increase in the total score obtained from the scale indicates an increase in the severity of complaints and, consequently, a negative impact on quality of life. The lowest possible score on the entire scale is 0, and the highest is 44.The scale is administered to the women again one month after the planned training and relaxation exercises are implemented.	One month after relaxation exercises and planned training practices

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Cumhuriyet University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Sukran Ertekin Pinar, Cumhuriyet University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): February 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): June 30, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): June 30, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: January 29, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 13, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): February 17, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): February 17, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 13, 2026
• Last Verified: January 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Exercise; Anxiety; Stress; Menopause; Education; Symptom
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Behavior; Anxiety Disorders; Motor Activity; Therapeutics; Mind-Body Therapies; Complementary Therapies; Psychotherapy; Behavioral Disciplines and Activities; Hypnosis; Autogenic Training
• Other Study ID Numbers: TR SİVAS 08

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