The effectiveness of relaxation training in reducing treatment-related symptoms and improving emotional adjustment in acute non-surgical cancer treatment: A meta-analytical review

Cancer patients often have to deal with severe side effects and psychologic al distress during cancer treatment, which have a substantial impact on the ir quality of life. Among psychosocial interventions for reducing treatment -related side effects, relaxation and imagery, were most investigated in co ntrolled trials. In this study, meta-analytic methods were used to synthesi ze published, randomized intervention-control studies aiming to improve pat ients' treatment-related symptoms and emotional adjustment by relaxation tr aining. Mean weighted effect sizes were calculated for 12 categories, treat ment-related symptoms (nausea, pain, blood pressure, pulse rate) and emotio nal adjustment (anxiety, depression, hostility, tension, fatigue, confusion , vigor, overall mood). Significant positive effects were found for the tre atment-related symptoms. Relaxation training also proved to have a signific ant effect on the. emotional adjustment variables depression, anxiety and h ostility. Additionally, two studies point to a significant effect of relaxa tion on the reduction of tension and amelioration of the overall mood. Inte rvention features of the relaxation training, the time the professional spe nt with the patient overall (intervention intensity) and the schedule of th e intervention (offered in conjunction with or independent of medical treat ment to the cancer patient) were relevant to the effect of relaxation on an xiety. The interventions offered independently of medical treatment proved to be significantly more effective for the outcome variable anxiety. Relaxa tion, seems to be equally effective for patients undergoing different medic al procedures (chemotherapy, radiotherapy, bone marrow transplantation, hyp erthermia). According to these results relaxation training should be implem ented into clinical routine for cancer patients, in acute medical treatment . Copyright (C) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.