OBJECTIVE: To examine the efficacy of a single progressive muscle relaxation session compared with a control condition on state anxiety, psychological stress, fatigue and subjective well-being in patients with schizophrenia. DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial. SETTING: An acute inpatient care unit of an University Psychiatric Centre. SUBJECTS: Sixty-four out of 88 eligible patients with schizophrenia. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were randomly assigned to either a single progressive muscle relaxation session during 25 minutes or a resting control condition with the opportunity to read for an equal amount of time. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Before and after the single interventions the State anxiety inventory and the Subjective exercise experiences scale were completed. Effect sizes were calculated. RESULTS: Only within progressive muscle relaxation, participants (n = 27) showed decreased state anxiety, psychological stress and fatigue and increased subjective well-being. Between-group differences in post scores were found for state anxiety, subjective well-being and psychological stress, but not for fatigue. The effect size favouring progressive muscle relaxation was 1.26 for subjective well-being and -1.25 and -1.02 for respectively state anxiety and psychological stress. CONCLUSIONS: Progressive muscle relaxation is highly effective in reducing acute feelings of stress and anxiety in patients with schizophrenia. A reduction in stress and state anxiety is associated with an increase in subjective well-being.

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