The Effect of Progressive Relaxation Exercises on Dyspnea and Anxiety Levels in Individuals With COPD: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Dyspnea is a common symptom and anxiety is a common comorbidity of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). They affect individuals with COPD in a multifaceted way, causing many disabilities. Progressive relaxation exercises (PREs) are an important intervention in reducing symptoms and comorbidity. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of PREs on dyspnea and anxiety levels in individuals with COPD. A pretest-posttest randomized controlled trial was conducted at the chest diseases clinic of a university hospital in Turkey. Forty-four patients with COPD who met the inclusion criteria for participation in the study were assigned either to an intervention or a control group, with 22 patients in each group. In the intervention group, the patients performed PREs once a day for 4 weeks in addition to the standard treatment. The patients in the control group received the standard treatment. In the data collection stage of the study, questionnaire forms, namely, the Modified Borg Scale (MBS), Modified British Medical Research Council Dyspnea Scale, COPD Assessment Test (CAT), and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), were used. Data were collected before (the first follow-up) and after the intervention (the second follow-up). In the second follow-up, the MBS, BAI, and CAT scores decreased significantly in the intervention group (P < .05) but showed no significant changes in the control group (P > .05). This study demonstrates that PREs can reduce dyspnea and anxiety levels in individuals with COPD.

Care Burden and Social Support Levels of Caregivers of Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

This descriptive study was conducted to determine the care burden and social support levels of caregivers to patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The primary caregivers of 112 patients with COPD hospitalized in the chest diseases service of a university hospital were involved in the study. Data of the study were collected by using the Patient and Caregiver Information Form, which was prepared by reviewing the literature, Katz Index of Independence in Activities of Daily Living, Zarit Burden Interview, and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. While the care burden mean score of caregivers of patients with COPD was 40.91 ± 20.58, the mean score of Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support was 54.13 ± 18.84. In this study, it was determined that female caregivers, as well as individuals stating that their physical and psychological health was affected and those having difficulty giving care and needing help, had higher levels of care burden, whereas the spouses, as well as individuals with lower levels of income and those stating that their physical and psychological health was affected, had lower levels of social support.