Document Type : Research Articles
Authors
1
School of Nursing and Midwifery, Department of Pediatric and Neonatal Nursing, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
2
Department of Community Health, Nursing and Midwifery School of Razi, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.
3
Department of Biostatistic, Modeling in Health Research Center, Institute for Futures Studies in Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.
Abstract
Introduction: Cancer can cause emotional stress in parents, which has a negative impact on the quality of their
life. Also, anxiety and psychological stress have a negative effect on the health of parents, and fatigue causes a sense
of weakness and reduces the capacity for mental and physical activity, and insomnia, as well as stress and inability to
perform their occupational and social functions. This study aimed to determine the effect of relaxation techniques on
anxiety, fatigue, and sleep quality of parents of children with leukemia under chemotherapy in South East Iran in 2015.
Methods: This is a randomized controlled trial study. The study population included parents of children with leukemia
undergoing chemotherapy who were admitted to a teaching hospital in South East Iran. One hundred twenty parents
were randomly assigned to control and intervention groups, and the experimental group was provided with Benson
relaxation technique. Data collection tool included a demographic questionnaire, state-trait anxiety inventory, Brief
Fatigue Inventory, and sleep quality inventory. Data analysis was done by SPSS 16 and paired t-test, Wilcoxon, Mann-
Whitney, regression, One - Way ANOVA and Pearson tests were performed, and p ≤ 0.05 was statistically significant.
Results: The mean score of state anxiety in the intervention group was 60.86 ± 8.95 and 35.95 ± 4.61 before and after
the intervention, respectively. The mean score of trait anxiety was 56.56 ± 4.75 and 34.45 ± 4.95. The mean score of
the fatigue was 73.83 ± 14.63 and 43.71 ± 11. 06, and the mean score of the quality of sleep was 13.5 ± 6.05 and 5.7
± 3.43 before and after the intervention respectively. There was a statistically significant difference among state-trait
anxiety, fatigue, and sleep quality in intervention and control groups after the intervention. There was a statistically
significant negative correlation between fatigue and age, but there was no statistically significant relationship among
the mean fatigue, weight, the number of sons and daughters, education, occupation, gender, place of residence and
income (p> 0.05). There was no statistically significant relationship among the quality of sleep of parents, education,
gender, and place of residence, but there was a statistically significant relationship between state anxiety and education
(p≤0.05). Conclusion: The results can predispose family-centered nursing care to support more the parents of children
with cancer in the face of the stress of illness. Developing programs for training muscle relaxation techniques will
improve family functioning and mental health.
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