The Effect of Progressive Muscle Relaxation on Emotional Competence: Depression–Anxiety–Stress, Sense of Coherence, Health-Related Quality of Life, and Well-Being of Unemployed People in Greece: An Intervention Study

Objectives : Assessment of the impact of Jacobson Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) on depression–anxiety–stress symptoms, sense of coherence, health-related quality of life and well-being in long-term unemployed people with anxiety disorders. Design and setting : An intervention study was conducted at a relevant Organization, in Athens, Greece. Intervention : 50 long-term unemployed individuals suffering from anxiety disorders participated in the study. Participants were separated into two groups: (a) the intervention group (30 individuals) that was trained on an 8-week on Progressive Muscle Relaxation program and also received counseling services and (b) the control group (20 individuals) that received only counseling services. Main outcome measures : Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale, Sense of Coherence, Health-Related Quality of Life and Well-being were evaluated at baseline and after the intervention. Results : Significant changes were noted in the studied variables between the two groups, with improved outcomes in the intervention group. The intervention group showed a decrease in the symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress ( p  0.001) [depression ( p  0.001), anxiety ( p  0.001), stress ( p  0.001)], a higher score of sense of coherence ( p  0.001), improved health-related quality of life regarding the mental health domain ( p  0.001), and improvement in well-being ( p  0.001). No significant change was observed in the control group during the follow-up period.