Perceived StressNCT07781813
Progressive Muscle Relaxation and Stress in Nursing Students
A study testing Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) in people with Perceived Stress, run by KTO Karatay University at 1 site in Turkey (Türkiye).
Trial summary
This study evaluated the effect of progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) exercises on perceived stress among nursing students during psychiatric and mental health nursing clinical practice. A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest control group design was used. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Perceived Stress
- What is being tested?
- Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR)
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 60 participants
- Where
- 1 siteTurkey (Türkiye)
- Study dates
- 3 Oct 2022to 7 Nov 2022
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Aged 18 years or older
- Enrolled in the Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing course
- Regular attendance in the course
- Willing to participate regularly in progressive muscle relaxation exercises if allocated to the intervention group
Who cannot join
- Repeating the Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing course
- Receiving treatment for a mental health disorder
- Having a physical condition or disability that could prevent participation in progressive muscle relaxation exercises
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
Official title: Effect of Progressive Muscle Relaxation on Perceived Stress Among Nursing Students During Psychiatric Nursing Clinical Practice: A Quasi-Experimental Study
This study evaluated the effect of progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) exercises on perceived stress among nursing students during psychiatric and mental health nursing clinical practice. A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest control group design was used. Sixty fourth-year nursing students were allocated to an intervention group (n=30) or a control group (n=30). The intervention group participated in PMR sessions once a week for five weeks, with each session lasting approximately 30-40 minutes, while the control group received no additional intervention. Perceived stress was assessed before and after the intervention using the Perceived Stress Scale for Nursing Students.
Read the detailed description
This quasi-experimental study was conducted with fourth-year nursing students enrolled in the Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing course at KTO Karatay University. The study used a pretest-posttest control group design. Students were allocated to intervention and control groups according to their positions on the official class attendance list; students with odd-numbered positions formed one group and those with even-numbered positions formed the other group. The intervention group was determined by a random selection from sealed envelopes labeled "odd numbers" and "even numbers." A total of 60 students participated in the study, with 30 students in each group.
Baseline data were collected using a Student Information Form and the Perceived Stress Scale for Nursing Students. Following the pretest assessment, students in the intervention group participated in progressive muscle relaxation sessions once a week for five weeks. Each session lasted approximately 30-40 minutes and included diaphragmatic breathing and systematic tensing and relaxing of major muscle groups under the verbal guidance of the researcher. Students in the control group continued their usual routines and received no relaxation training or additional intervention during the study period.
At the end of the five-week intervention period, the Perceived Stress Scale for Nursing Students was readministered to both groups. Pretest and posttest perceived stress scores were compared within and between groups to evaluate the effect of the progressive muscle relaxation intervention.
- Conditions
- Perceived Stress
- Being tested
- Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR)
- Keywords
- Progressive Muscle Relaxation, Nursing Students, Perceived Stress, Psychiatric Nursing, Stress Management
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR)Behavioural
Participants in the intervention group received progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) once a week for five weeks. Each session lasted approximately 30-40 minutes. During the first session, participants received brief instruction on PMR and diaphragmatic breathing. Under the researcher's verbal guidance, participants systematically tensed each major muscle group for approximately 5-7 seconds and then relaxed it. The same protocol was repeated weekly for five weeks under similar conditions.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Progressive Muscle Relaxation Group | Experimental | Participants in this group received progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) sessions administered by the researcher once a week for five weeks. Each session lasted approximately 30-40 minutes. Receives: Behavioral: Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) |
| Control Group | No intervention | Participants in the control group continued their usual routines and received no relaxation training or additional intervention during the study period. |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Perceived Stress Level
Perceived stress was assessed using the Perceived Stress Scale for Nursing Students (PSSNS). The scale consists of 29 items across six subscales. Each item is rated from 0 (not stressful for me) to 4 (extremely stressful for me), yielding a total score ranging from 0 to 116. Higher scores indicate higher levels of perceived stress.
Measured: Baseline and immediately after the 5-week intervention
Secondary outcomes (6)
Stress From Lack of Professional Knowledge and Skills
This subscale of the Perceived Stress Scale for Nursing Students (PSSNS) consists of 3 items (items 2, 7, and 11). Each item is rated from 0 to 4, yielding a subscale score ranging from 0 to 12. Higher scores indicate higher perceived stress related to lack of professional knowledge and skills.
Measured: Baseline and immediately after the 5-week intervention
Stress From Taking Care of Patients
This subscale of the Perceived Stress Scale for Nursing Students (PSSNS) consists of 8 items (items 1, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, and 19). Each item is rated from 0 to 4, yielding a subscale score ranging from 0 to 32. Higher scores indicate higher perceived stress related to patient care.
Measured: Baseline and immediately after the 5-week intervention
Stress From Assignments and Workload
This subscale of the Perceived Stress Scale for Nursing Students (PSSNS) consists of 5 items (items 3, 9, 13, 17, and 21). Each item is rated from 0 to 4, yielding a subscale score ranging from 0 to 20. Higher scores indicate higher perceived stress related to assignments and workload.
Measured: Baseline and immediately after the 5-week intervention
Stress From Teachers and Nursing Staff
This subscale of the Perceived Stress Scale for Nursing Students (PSSNS) consists of 6 items (items 15, 16, 18, 20, 25, and 27). Each item is rated from 0 to 4, yielding a subscale score ranging from 0 to 24. Higher scores indicate higher perceived stress related to teachers and nursing staff.
Measured: Baseline and immediately after the 5-week intervention
Stress From the Environment
This subscale of the Perceived Stress Scale for Nursing Students (PSSNS) consists of 3 items (items 5, 23, and 26). Each item is rated from 0 to 4, yielding a subscale score ranging from 0 to 12. Higher scores indicate higher perceived stress related to the clinical environment.
Measured: Baseline and immediately after the 5-week intervention
Stress From Peers and Daily Life
This subscale of the Perceived Stress Scale for Nursing Students (PSSNS) consists of 4 items (items 22, 24, 28, and 29). Each item is rated from 0 to 4, yielding a subscale score ranging from 0 to 16. Higher scores indicate higher perceived stress related to peers and daily life.
Measured: Baseline and immediately after the 5-week intervention
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted24 Aug 2026
- Study start3 Oct 2022
- Primary completion7 Nov 2022
- Study completion7 Nov 2022
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Perceived StressStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Non-randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- Participants were allocated to two parallel groups: an intervention group receiving progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) once weekly for five weeks and a control group receiving no additional intervention.
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 60 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- KTO Karatay University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Özden Gülal, MSc, Principal investigator, Selcuk University, Aksehir Faculty of Health Sciences
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07781813
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- KaratayUN
- Status last verified
- Aug 2026
- First submitted
- 19 Aug 2026
- Last updated
- 27 Aug 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No: Individual participant data are not planned to be shared because no data-sharing plan was established at the time the study was conducted
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 27 Aug 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Effect of Progressive Muscle Relaxation on Perceived Stress Among Nursing Students During Psychiatric Nursing Clinical Practice: A Quasi-Experimental Study
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07781813
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- KaratayUN
- Conditions
- Perceived Stress
- Keywords
- Progressive Muscle Relaxation, Nursing Students, Perceived Stress, Psychiatric Nursing, Stress Management
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 60 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- KTO Karatay UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 3 Oct 2022 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 7 Nov 2022 (actual)
- Study completion
- 7 Nov 2022 (actual)
- First posted
- 24 Aug 2026 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
This study evaluated the effect of progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) exercises on perceived stress among nursing students during psychiatric and mental health nursing clinical practice. A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest control group design was used. Sixty fourth-year nursing students were allocated to an intervention group (n=30) or a control group (n=30). The intervention group participated in PMR sessions once a week for five weeks, with each session lasting approximately 30-40 minutes, while the control group received no additional intervention. Perceived stress was assessed before and after the intervention using the Perceived Stress Scale for Nursing Students.
Detailed description
This quasi-experimental study was conducted with fourth-year nursing students enrolled in the Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing course at KTO Karatay University. The study used a pretest-posttest control group design. Students were allocated to intervention and control groups according to their positions on the official class attendance list; students with odd-numbered positions formed one group and those with even-numbered positions formed the other group. The intervention group was determined by a random selection from sealed envelopes labeled "odd numbers" and "even numbers." A total of 60 students participated in the study, with 30 students in each group.
Baseline data were collected using a Student Information Form and the Perceived Stress Scale for Nursing Students. Following the pretest assessment, students in the intervention group participated in progressive muscle relaxation sessions once a week for five weeks. Each session lasted approximately 30-40 minutes and included diaphragmatic breathing and systematic tensing and relaxing of major muscle groups under the verbal guidance of the researcher. Students in the control group continued their usual routines and received no relaxation training or additional intervention during the study period.
At the end of the five-week intervention period, the Perceived Stress Scale for Nursing Students was readministered to both groups. Pretest and posttest perceived stress scores were compared within and between groups to evaluate the effect of the progressive muscle relaxation intervention.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Non-randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
- Model description
- Participants were allocated to two parallel groups: an intervention group receiving progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) once weekly for five weeks and a control group receiving no additional intervention.
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Progressive Muscle Relaxation Group | Experimental | Behavioral: Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR)Participants in this group received progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) sessions administered by the researcher once a week for five weeks. Each session lasted approximately 30-40 minutes. |
| Control Group | No intervention | –Participants in the control group continued their usual routines and received no relaxation training or additional intervention during the study period. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (4 listed)
- Aged 18 years or older
- Enrolled in the Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing course
- Regular attendance in the course
- Willing to participate regularly in progressive muscle relaxation exercises if allocated to the intervention group
Key exclusion criteria (3 listed)
- Repeating the Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing course
- Receiving treatment for a mental health disorder
- Having a physical condition or disability that could prevent participation in progressive muscle relaxation exercises
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR)Participants in the intervention group received progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) once a week for five weeks. Each session lasted approximately 30-40 minutes. During the first session, participants received brief instruction on PMR and diaphragmatic breathing. Under the researcher's verbal guidance, participants systematically tensed each major muscle group for approximately 5-7 seconds and then relaxed it. The same protocol was repeated weekly for five weeks under similar conditions. | Behavioural | Progressive Muscle Relaxation Group |
Primary outcome
Perceived Stress Level
Time frame: Baseline and immediately after the 5-week intervention
Perceived stress was assessed using the Perceived Stress Scale for Nursing Students (PSSNS). The scale consists of 29 items across six subscales. Each item is rated from 0 (not stressful for me) to 4 (extremely stressful for me), yielding a total score ranging from 0 to 116. Higher scores indicate higher levels of perceived stress.
6 secondary outcomes
Stress From Lack of Professional Knowledge and Skills
Time frame: Baseline and immediately after the 5-week intervention
Stress From Taking Care of Patients
Time frame: Baseline and immediately after the 5-week intervention
Stress From Assignments and Workload
Time frame: Baseline and immediately after the 5-week intervention
Stress From Teachers and Nursing Staff
Time frame: Baseline and immediately after the 5-week intervention
Stress From the Environment
Time frame: Baseline and immediately after the 5-week intervention
Stress From Peers and Daily Life
Time frame: Baseline and immediately after the 5-week intervention
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 27 Aug 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No. Individual participant data are not planned to be shared because no data-sharing plan was established at the time the study was conducted
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Özden Gülal, MSc principal investigator
Selcuk University, Aksehir Faculty of Health Sciences
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) in people with Perceived Stress, run by KTO Karatay University at 1 site in Turkey (Türkiye).
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 4 inclusion and 3 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 27 Aug 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Turkey (Türkiye). Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Perceived Stress Level (time frame: Baseline and immediately after the 5-week intervention). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 27 Aug 2026.