STUDY OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF BENSON'S MUSCLE RELAXATION APPROACH ON THE ANXIETY OF PATIENTS UNDERGOING HEMODIALYSIS IN URMIA TEACHING HOSPITALS: A SEMI-EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH

Anxiety is a common psychiatric disorder in patients with chronic kidney disease, and Benson muscle relaxation is a non-invasive, non-pharmacological treatment to reduce anxiety and improve the condition. Considering the problems of these patients, it seems helpful to use this method in relieving these problems. Thus, this study aimed to determine the effect of Benson's muscle relaxation method on hemodialysis patients' anxiety.

This semi-experimental study was conducted on hemodialysis patients at Taleghani and Emam Khomeini Treatment and Educational Center of Urmia University of Medical Sciences in 2023. Sixty eligible patients undergoing hemodialysis were selected using convenience sampling. The selected patients were randomly divided into two control and intervention groups. Before the intervention, a pre-test was conducted on both groups using the Beck anxiety questionnaire. The intervention group received Benson's relaxation approach during eight sessions. At the end of the intervention, both groups completed the questionnaire again, and the data were analyzed in SPSS ver.16.0 using Chi-square and t-test statistical tests.

A statistically significant difference was observed in the mean anxiety scores in the Benson relaxation group before and after the intervention (p<0.001). However, no statistically significant difference was observed in the mean anxiety scores in the control group(P=0.687).

The introduction and application of Benson's sedation method can effectively reduce the anxiety of hemodialysis patients. Health policymakers can include this intervention method in nursing students' curricula.