Effectiveness of progressive muscle relaxation therapy on anxiety and depression: A pre-experimental study on elderly people of old age homes

Introduction: Old age is the closing period in the life span, and it is characterized by certain physical and psychological changes in human being, including anxiety and depression. These changes often determine personal and social adjustments of the elderly. Aim: This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of progressive muscle relaxation therapy on anxiety and depression among elderly people residing in selected old age homes of Rajasthan. Materials and Methods: Pre-experimental research approach with one group pretest–posttest design was used to conduct the study. Nonprobability convenience sampling technique was adopted to select 50 elderly of selected old age homes of Rajasthan. Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale and the Geriatric Depression Scale were used to assess anxiety and depression, respectively. Progressive muscle relaxation technique (PMRT) was implemented and continued once a day for 10 days for 20–30 min. Results: The study found that 28.0% elderly had moderate anxiety and 100% had depressive symptoms at baseline. After PMRT, anxiety and depression reduced significantly at P < 0.05.Conclusions: The study concluded that progressive muscle relaxation is effective in reducing level of anxiety and depression among the elderly but need to conduct same study on large sample. Elderly should be taught about progressive muscle relaxation so that they can use to reduce their anxiety and depression.