Abstract:
Background: Pregnancy-related anxiety is quite frequent during pregnancy after perinatal loss, and it is likely to cause negative effects on the mother and the foetus. amongst independent nursing practices, progressive muscle relaxation exercises are considered to be one of alternative treatment methods to relax pregnant women physically and psychologically. Purpose: The aim of this study is to examine the effect of progressive muscle relaxation exercises on the pregnancy-related anxiety levels of pregnant women who have experienced a perinatal loss. Methods: One hundred and four pregnant women who had experienced a perinatal loss were randomly assigned to an intervention group (n = 31) or a control group (n = 33) and participated in a 12-week trial. The intervention group received training on progressive muscle relaxation exercises, while the control group was provided only with routine healthcare services. The Pregnancy-Related Anxiety Questionnaire-R2 was used to evaluate the level of pregnancy-related anxiety. Results: The intervention group showed improvement in comparison to the control group at the end of the intervention. After the intervention, the measured levels of “pregnancy related anxiety”, “fear of giving birth”, and “worries about bearing a handicapped child” significantly decreased in the intervention group compared to the pre-intervention levels and the control group, and the difference between the groups was statistically significant (p<0.001, p<0.001, and p<0.001, respectively). However, there were no significant differences in the levels of concern about own appearance between the groups after the intervention (p>0.05). Conclusion: According to the results of the study, progressive muscle relaxation led to a decrease in the pregnancy-related anxiety levels of the pregnant women who had experienced a perinatal loss. © 2020 Elsevier Inc.