The effect of stress management incorporating progressive muscle relaxation and biofeedback-assisted relaxation breathing on patients with asthma: a randomised controlled trial

Abstract

Background: Previous evidence indicates a negative influence of elevated stress on asthma symptoms and asthma-related quality of life. Objective To investigate the effects of stress management (SM; progressive muscle relaxation accompanied by biofeedback-assisted relaxation breathing),on stress levels, asthma control, asthma-related quality of life and physical exercise in patients with intermittent and mild chronic asthma. Methods: This is a phase 2, two-armed, parallel randomized controlled trial using an intervention SM group (N=23) and a usual care (UC) control group (N=19). The measurements included the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), the Asthma Control Test (ACT), the Mini Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (MAQLQ) and one Likert-type question measuring frequency of weekly exercise. The assessments were carried out at baseline and after 8 weeks. Results: Most patients had experienced zero or one asthma exacerbation during the previous year, while the mean duration of the disease was about 14 years for both groups. No differences were noted between the two groups at baseline. Patients in the SM group showed significant less perceived stress (p<0.0001), better asthma-related quality of life (regarding symptoms, daily activity/limitations and emotional function) and asthma control (p <0.0001) and higher frequency of physical exercise (p=0.001) than patients in the UC group at the end of the follow-up. Conclusions: This study provides more evidence in favor of the role of SM in the treatment of asthma. Future studies should replicate and expand these results.