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Completed

NCT Number: NCT05087433

Perceived Stress and Anxiety Levels of Nurses

This study was conducted to determine the effect of web-based progressive relaxation exercises applied to nurses working in a pandemic hospital on perceived stress and anxiety. In this randomized controlled clinical trial, nurses working in the pandemic hospital were randomly assigned to the control and intervention groups.

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Key information

Conditions

Stress Anxiety Anxiety Disorders Mental Disorders

Age range

18 year–55 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Suleyman Demirel University

Merkez, Isparta, 32200, Turkey (Türkiye)

About this study

The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) epidemic increases the stress and anxiety level of nurses due to many factors. This study was conducted to determine the effect of web-based progressive relaxation exercises applied to nurses working in a pandemic hospital on perceived stress and anxiety. In this randomized controlled clinical trial, nurses working in the pandemic hospital were randomly assigned to the control and intervention groups. The Web-Based Relaxation Exercises Program was trained and implemented online for 4 weeks by a trainer for the intervention group.The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) were completed online by participants in both groups before and after the intervention

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Those between the ages of 18-55
  • Nurses working in the pandemic hospital

Exclusion criteria

  • Nurses who did not agree to participate in the study
  • Research Termination Criteria;
  • Nurses who begin to receive support from a psychiatrist,
  • Nurses who begin to use psychiatric medication,
  • Nurses who are COVID positive,
  • Moreover, the study was terminated with the nurses who wanted to leave the study.

Treatment and study plan

Progressive Relaxation Exercises

Other

The trainer performed the PRE exercise online with the nurses. The video recording of the progressive relaxation exercises was shared with the nurses participating in the study on WhatsApp groups. Nurses were asked to perform the PRE application in accordance with the commands in the video recordings. In addition, a guide in which the steps of applying progressive relaxation exercises for each muscle group were written was given to the nurses. It was stated that they should do the application regularly for 25-30 minutes in the morning every day at home for a month. The PRE application was reminded daily from the WhatsApp group for the nurses to apply regularly to the sessions and not to disrupt the sessions. Nurses shared the messages stating that they were doing the PRE application on a daily basis for four weeks on WhatsApp groups.

Primary outcomes

  1. Personal Information Form:

    Time frame: baseline

    Socio-demographic characteristics of nurses such as age, gender, educational status, working time in the profession, professional characteristics such as the unit they worked before and after the COVID-19 pandemic, working time and working style, how their family life was affected in the COVID-19 pandemic, and contains information on their greatest concern regarding the pandemic.

  2. The Perceived Stress Scale

    Time frame: four weeks

    It is a five-point Likert-type scale and consists of 14 items. Participants rate each item on a scale ranging from "Never (0)" to "Very often (4)". Seven of the items with positive statements are scored in reverse. As the scores obtained from the scale increase, the perceived stress level of the person increases. PSS-14 scores range from 0 to 56, with 0-35 point range indicating normal stress level, 35-56 point range indicating that the individual is under stress.

  3. State-Trait Anxiety Inventory

    Time frame: four weeks

    The 4-point Likert-type State Anxiety Inventory, consisting of 20 items in total, measures a person's anxiety at a certain time. According to the severity of the feelings, thoughts or behaviors expressed by the items in the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, it is required to choose one of the options "not at all," "a little," "a lot," and "totally". There are 10 (items 1, 2, 5, 8, 10, 11, 15, 16, 19 and 20) reversed statements in the STAI. While scoring the scale, the reversed statements with a weight of 1 were converted to 4, and those with a weight of 4 were converted to 1. In direct statements, answers with a value of 4 indicate high anxiety. In reversed expressions, answers with a value of 1 indicate high anxiety, and a value of 4 indicates low anxiety. The last value obtained was accepted as the individual's anxiety score. It is reported that the level of anxiety is high for scores above 42 points.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Ayşe Aydınlı

Other

Registry information

Official study title

The Effect of Web-based Progressive Relaxation Exercises on Perceived Stress and Anxiety on Nurses Working in a Pandemic Hospital: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Acronym: stress

Important dates

Study start
2021
Primary completion
2021
Study completion
2021
First posted
Oct 21, 2021
Registry last updated
Oct 21, 2021

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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