A Randomised Comparison of Two ‘Stress Control’ Programmes: Progressive Muscle Relaxation versus Mindfulness Body Scan.

Publication date: Available online 13 May 2019Source: Mental Health & PreventionAuthor(s): Dr Christina Corbett, Dr Jonathan Egan, Monika PilchAbstractThis research study explores the relationship between treatment outcome and intervention type, by comparing two large group cognitive behavioural therapy based stress management programmes; ‘Stress Control with Progressive Muscle Relaxation’ versus ‘Stress Control with Mindfulness Body Scan’. The experiment was conducted in a rural Irish community setting, inviting participation from the general public (n = 86). All participants attended the standard six-week Stress Control intervention. Participants in Group A received Stress Control augmented with a 15-minute Progressive Muscle Relaxation audio recording for home use between classes, while participants in Group B received Stress Control augmented with a 15-minute Mindfulness Body Scan audio recording for home use between classes. All participants completed the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Questionnaire (DASS 21), the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ 12) and the Coping Strategies Indicator (CSI) at pre-intervention, post-intervention and at three-month follow-up. Participants in both groups were also asked to complete weekly skill practice questionnaires to assess adherence to treatment. Participants in both groups made significant improvement, over time, on measures of psychological well-being, stress and anxiety. Only participants in the ‘Stress Control with...
Source: Mental Health and Prevention - Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research