Differential effects of guided imagery and progressive muscle relaxation on physical and emotional symptoms in nursing students taking initial clinical training: A randomized clinical trial

BACKGROUND: The initial clinical training has been reported by nursing students as the most challenging component of the nursing programs. Although progressive muscle relaxation and guided imagery have been reported to improve emotional and physical health, the use of such approaches among nursing students rarely exist. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the deferential effects of progressive muscle relaxation [PMR] and guided imagery [GI] on physical and emotional symptoms in nursing students taking their initial clinical training. METHODS: Using a three-group, randomized, single blinded study conducted in a large Jordanian university, 156 nursing students were randomly allocated into one of three study groups (PMR group, GI group, and control group). The physical symptoms and emotional symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress were assessed at baseline and end of the intervention. The study protocol was registered in ClinicalTrail.gov, identifier: xxxxxx. RESULTS: Using one-way MANOVA and post-hoc comparisons, the results showed that PMR and GI significantly reduced more physical symptoms than control condition although PMR was more effective than GI in this regard. GI significantly decreased more emotional symptoms such as anxiety, depression, and stress than PMR and control condition. PMR decreased anxiety, depression, and stress but the results were not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study support the ABC relaxation theory claiming that PMR im-proves better physical symptoms while GI improves better emotional symptoms. However, further studies using students from multiple settings are needed.