Effects of relaxation and stress management training on fibromyalgia symptoms in women

Abstract

This study compared the effectiveness of relaxation training and stress management training in treating anxiety, depression, stress, and pain in women with fibromyalgia. Twenty-two women with fibromyalgia participated in this randomized, controlled trial. They were assigned to stress management (n=7), relaxation training (n=7), and control (n=8) groups. All participants completed the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-42) and the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for pain. The stress management group participated in eight weekly two-hour sessions of a stress management program; the relaxation group participated in eight weekly sessions of relaxation training. Then, participants completed the DASS-42 and VAS again. Analyses of Covariance (ANCOVA) and post hoc analyses were used to compare the participants’ pre- and post-therapy responses and the two treatment types. Both relaxation training and stress management training were found to be effective in treating patients’ anxiety (P= 0.005), depression (P= 0.006), stress (P= 0.002), and pain (P= 0.001). Post hoc analyses indicated that participants in the treatment groups showed improvement compared with those in the control group (all P values< 0.01). However, there was no significant difference in effectiveness between the relaxation training and the stress management training. The relaxation training and stress management training both significantly improved women’s fibromyalgia symptoms (depression, stress, anxiety, and pain).