A pilot study on the effect of progressive muscle relaxation training of patients after stoma surgery

Eighteen patients who had undergone stoma surgery were assessed with respec t to their anxiety level and self-reported quality of life (QoL) on three o ccasions; namely, immediately after surgery, 5 weeks after surgery, and 10 weeks after surgery. The patients were randomised into a control group (n = 10) and an experimental group (n = 8). A 20-min set of audiotaped instruct ions on progressive muscle relaxation training (PMRT) was given to the pati ents in the experimental group for home practice. Assessment instructions i ncluded the Chinese State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (C-STAI), the Quality of Life Index for Colostomy (QoL-Colostomy) and the Hong Kong Chinese version of the World Health Organisation Quality of Life Scale (WHOQoL). Results in dicated that there was a significant decrease in both the C-STAI score (F = 4.66, P < 0.05) and the WHOQoL score (F = 4.74, P < 0.05) in the experimen tal group. Among the domains of WHOQoL, a significant difference was shown in physical health/independence and general perception of QoL, with the exp erimental group demonstrating better functioning. For the QoL-Colostomy, ho wever, there was no significant difference between the control and experime ntal groups. The results suggest that the use of PMRT could enhance quality of life and decrease state anxiety in patients after stoma surgery.