Effectiveness of progressive muscle relaxation technique on anxiety caused by Covid-19 in pregnant women: A randomized clinical trial

Aim To determine the effectiveness of the progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) technique on anxiety caused by Covid-19 in pregnant women under the auspices of comprehensive health service centers in the nineteenth district of Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Method This study is a randomized clinical trial. A total of 126 pregnant women were randomly allocated to the intervention group (N = 63) and control group (N = 63). All participants completed demographic questionnaires and the Corona Disease Anxiety Scale electronically. The intervention was held in six sessions through Sky Room (three times a week). It consisted of training and practicing the PMR. The intervention group was re-evaluated with the related questionnaires immediately after the intervention and 2 weeks later, and the control group 2 and 4 weeks after the baseline. Results There was a significant difference between the control and intervention groups at the baseline (P = .05). Nevertheless, analysis of variance test results showed that the difference between the intervention and control groups was found to be significantly different statistically; (22.92 +/- 6.07) for intervention versus (28.13 +/- 6.93) for control, with the second follow up (P = .01). Conclusions Progressive muscle relaxation is used as a useful intervention to reduce anxiety in pregnant women during coronavirus pandemics educated and recommended with more emphasis and sensitivity in pregnancy care by healthcare providers.