A pilot study of the effect of progressive muscle relaxation on smoking craving in psychiatric patients

Abstract

Background : Psychiatric patients may have abnormalities in terms of feeling and emotion while abstain from smoking in the hospital. Abstaining from smoking while receiving treatment at the hospital may cause craving for cigarette smoking and stress resulting uncooperative to treatment. Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR),
a technique known to reduce stress and cigarette craving in general population, may have some effect on reduction of cigarette craving in psychiatric patients.

Objective :

1) To compare feeling of smoking craving at the time prior and after practicing PMR.

2) to compare feeling of smoking craving between psychiatric patients practicing PMR and the control group.

Design : Randomized – control trial.

Setting : King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital and Ramathibodi Hospital.

Materials and Methods : Data were collected from 34 patients with smoking craving at the Outpatient Department or Inpatient Department, King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital and Ramathibodi Hospital. Measurements were : 1) General background;

2) Fagerstrom test for nicotine dependence;

3) Penn Alcohol Craving Scale (PACS);

4) Thai Stress Test (TST);

5) Visual Analog Scale (VAS);

6) PMR audio tape and;

7) vital signs records of both groups before and after the experiment. The data were analyzed by using Fisher’s exact test and non-Parametric Mann-Whitney U test.

Results : After the experiment, cigarette craving, stress and other feelings did not show any difference between the groups (p> 0.05). Pre – and post – level of craving for cigarette smoking did not differ in both groups. Of the notes, one – third of the smokers screened in to the experiment group were excluded due to noncooperation to the intervention.

Conclusion : PMR has no effect on cigarette craving in psychiatric patients. Future research of the effect of PMR on cigarette craving in psychiatric patients in larger sample size and in specific subgroup of psychiatric patients may be useful.