The effect of progressive muscle relaxation on pregnant women's general health

Background: Pregnancy may be accompanied by serious physiological and psychological changes as it is a stressful period in a woman's life. So, this study was conducted to determine the effect of progressive muscle relaxation on pregnant women's general health. Materials and Methods: In this clinical trial, 60 primigravida women admitted to the prenatal clinic of selected hospitals in Iran constituted the study population. Using purposive sampling method, the level of general health of the women was measured with General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28). Then, the samples were randomly divided into control and experimental groups. Three 1.5–2 h relaxation training sessions were held for the experimental group. After 8 weeks, the level of general health of both groups was measured again. Finally, the collected data were analyzed using Chi-square and paired t-test (P < 0.05). Results: Total mean score of general health of the experimental group and the control group before the intervention was 35.83 (6.92) and 29.46 (8.3), respectively, and after the intervention, the respective scores were 20.2 (5.61) and 27.85 (8.24). Although after the intervention both groups showed an increased level of general health, the difference in general health between before and after intervention was significant in the experimental group (P < 0.001). Furthermore, comparison of variations in mean scores of general health level before and after intervention in the two groups showed a significant difference (P < 0.001). Conclusions: Given that the results showed the effectiveness of progressive muscle relaxation on pregnant women's general health, the prenatal clinics can include a training program for progressive muscle relaxation in the routine training programs for pregnant women

Effects of communication skills educational intervention of Mothers of

 Anxiety disorders are one of the most common mental disorders in children. In regard withthe importance effect of appropriate communication among parents specially mothers and children, on mental health of children, this study investigated the effects of communication skills training for mothers on anxiety levels of school students in Tehran. Methods and Material: In a quasi-experimental study, 114 students in first grade class, in an area in Tehranand their mothers were included. Before the intervention , children's anxiety was assessed by using the School Anxiety Scale –Teacher report (SAS-TR (SAS-TR), and mothers' communication skills was measured by Queendom communication skills questionnaire. The mothers of the children in intervention group were provided a communication skills education program. Mothers of the children in control group were also provided with communication skills education after completion of the study. Two month after the educational intervention mothers' communicational skills and their children's anxiety in two groups were assessed by two questionnaires and compared with pre intervention stage. Data were analyzed by SPSS statistical software. Findings: Wilcoxon statistical test showed a significant decrease in anxiety scores of children of mothers ofintervention group (p&lt;0.05), while no significant difference was found between pre and post educational intervention anxiety scores in control group. Mean scores of mothers' communicational skills was (114.± 8/9) before Intervention which significantly increased after educational program (p&lt;0.05). Conclusion: Anxiety of students is in primary school has a high incidence, diagnosis and early treatmentcould prevent future complications. According to this study findings , communication skills training for mothers is an effective way to reduce the anxiety students. Keywords: Anxiety, student, teacher, School anxiety scale - teacher report (SAS-TR), communication skills trainin