Abstract:
Relaxation training has widespread clinical use. Applications include treatment of insomnia, allergies, and anxiety. Few studies have examined the effects of relaxation training in adolescent psychiatric patients. In the present study, the immediate effects of relaxation training (Rt) were assessed on adjustment disorder and depressed children and adolescents. The Rt class consisted of 30-40 minutes of yoga exercises followed by 20 minutes of relaxation therapy, interspersed by a brief massage. All patients were given the state form of the STAI-C and the depression factor questions of the POMS. In addition, observers rated the subjects' behaviors according to a behavior observation scale. Heart rate, activity level, and cortisol levels were also measured. A subsample of patients were given the same set of measurements during a control condition (i.e. television viewing) in a counterbalanced fashion. All the subjects appeared to benefit from the Rt class. The patients showed a decrease in self-reported anxiety, in behaviorally observed fidgeting and anxiety and an increase in alertness, positive affect, and activity following Rt. Heart rate and activity levels increased during exercise and decreased during the relaxation portion of the class. Although depressed patients appeared to have higher cortisol values than the adjustment disorder patients there were no significant effects. The lack of statistically significant cortisol reduction may be a result of the large amount of variance in cortisol values among depressed patients. Because 62% of depressed patients showed increased cortisol values and 38% showed decreased cortisol values following relaxation training, two subtypes of depressed patients may be present. All adjustment disorder patients showed decreases in cortisol. The subsample of patients participating in the treatment and control condition showed greater reduction in anxiety (measured by the STAI-C and behavior rating), in heart rate, and in cortisol values during the treatment condition than in the control condition. Thus, relaxation training had immediate positive effects as seen by the changes in the entire sample of patients and in the subsample of patients participating in both conditions.