EFFICACY OF RELAXATION TRAINING

University Of Washington, Seattle WA

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

Description (provided by applicant): The broad, long-term objectives of this subproject are to decrease pain and improve physical and psychological functioning in youth with physical disabilities. The specific aim is to examine the efficacy of relaxation training for providing pain relief and improving function. The proposed research will test the efficacy of a relaxation intervention in two studies. The first study will test the efficacy of relaxation training against a control intervention using a prospective randomized controlled design. This study will also enable to test three hypothesized mechanisms of the effects of relaxation training on pain: (1) via its effects on global physiological arousal, (2) via its effects on pain-site specific muscle tension, and (3) via its effects on perceived control over pain. The second study will test the efficacy of relaxation for reducing pain in youth in a series of single-case multiple baseline design experiments. In study 1, 120 youth (age range 10 to 20 years) with spastic type cerebral palsy (CP) will be randomly assigned to one of two experimental conditions. In the first condition, a relaxation training intervention, subjects will be given eight sessions of autogenic relaxation training and asked to practice relaxation at home using tapes. The second condition will be a distraction control condition in which subjects will receive eight sessions of distracting story-telling and will be asked to listen to (age-appropriate) tapes of stories at home. In study 2, 15 youth (age range 10 to 20 years) will participate in a series of multiple baseline across subjects experiments. One multiple baseline series will study five youth with athetoid cerebral palsy (CP). The second will study five youth with limb deficiency (LD), and the final series will study five youth with spinal cord injury (SCI). Subjects in study 2 will begin with a minimum 8-week baseline. Relaxation training will be introduced in a time staggered manner across the three subject groups and after stability of the baseline has occurred. Measures of pain intensity, psychological functioning, and participation will be collected at several points throughout the course of the study (pretreatment, post-treatment, follow-up). At the conclusion of the study we will be able to determine the immediate and long-term (up to 12 months) effects of relaxation training on pain and functional performance in youth with CP, LD, and SCI. The study will also provide important insights into the possible mechanisms of the effects of relaxation training. The combination of group comparison design and single subject research will provide valuable information on the development and testing of relaxation protocols for pain relief and increased function in youth with disabilities.