Assessing momentary relaxation using the Relaxation State Questionnaire (RSQ)

Steghaus S, Poth CH. Assessing momentary relaxation using the Relaxation State Questionnaire (RSQ). Scientific Reports . 2022;12(1): 16341.Stress is ubiquitous in everyday life and hazardous for mental and physical health. To prevent or ameliorate stress-related disease, relaxation exercises aim to counteract stress by inducing short-lasting states of relaxation on a regular basis. Critically, current assessments capture the mid- and long-term consequences of relaxation, however, cannot measure its short-term effects on an individual's momentary psychological state. To address this problem, we developed the Relaxation State Questionnaire (RSQ). We assessed the psychometric quality of the questionnaire by investigating its item properties, reliability, and validity in an online study with 92 participants. Construct validity was examined through correlations with the Perceived Stress Questionnaire (PSQ; Fliege in https://doi.org/10.23668/PSYCHARCHIVES.2889 , 2009). An exploratory factor analysis revealed four factors capturing the momentary state of muscle tension, sleepiness, cardiovascular activity, and general relaxation. In a second online study with 99 participants, we conducted a confirmatory factor analysis. Results revealed high item loadings (0.70-0.91), excellent reliability (alpha=0.86) and excellent fit indices, and a good construct validity of the RSQ. These findings establish the RSQ as a tool to measure momentary states of relaxation. As such, the RSQ opens up research of the immediate subjective effects and the effectiveness of relaxation exercises. © 2022. The Author(s)

Assessing Momentary States of Relaxation: The Relaxation State Questionnaire

Stress is ubiquitous in everyday life and hazardous for mental and physical health. To prevent or ameliorate stress-related disease, approaches such as relaxation exercises aim to counteract stress by inducing short-lasting states of relaxation. Critically, current assessments capture the mid- and long-term consequences of relaxation but are unable to quantify these states of relaxation. To address this problem, we developed the Relaxation State Questionnaire (RSQ). We assessed the item properties, reliability, and validity of the questionnaire in an online study. Construct validity was examined through correlations with the Perceived Stress Questionnaire (PSQ; Fliege et al., 2005). An exploratory factor analysis revealed four factors capturing the momentary state of muscle tension, sleepiness, cardiovascular activity, and general relaxation. The items had high loadings on their factors and the reliability and construct validity of the RSQ were both high. These findings establish the RSQ as a tool to measure states of relaxation. As such, the RSQ opens up investigations of the immediate effects and effectiveness of relaxation exercises