The importance of home practice for progressive relaxation training

• Published in: Behaviour research and therapy Vol. 21; no. 6; pp. 633 - 642
• Main Authors: Hillenberg, J.Bruce, Collins, Frank L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 1983; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Anxiety Disorders - therapy; Biological and medical sciences; Female; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Relaxation Therapy; Relaxation. Biofeedback. Hypnosis. Selfregulation. Meditation; Stress, Psychological - therapy; Treatments; Learning; Human; Relaxation; Treatment; At home; Self control; Anxiety; Biofeedback; Psychophysiology; Stress
• ISSN: 0005-7967; 1873-622X
• DOI: 10.1016/0005-7967(83)90081-5

The efficacy of home practice assignments was evaluated as a component of standardized progressive relaxation training. Subjects reporting general anxiety and tension problems were assigned to either a home practice relaxation, no home practice relaxation or wait-list control condition. Treatment was conducted for 10 sessions over a 5-week period. In addition, subjects in both conditions engaged in in-vivo application of their relaxation skills during a final 2-week application period. Group comparisons showed that both progressive relaxation conditions significantly improved on daily self-monitored general anxiety and tension levels relative to the wait-list control condition. Group analyses of percent subject improvements supported the effectiveness of home practice assignments, especially during the application period. No systematic differences between groups, on physiological and self-report variables, were found during several laboratory relaxation evaluation sessions. This study supports the contribution of home practice assignments to progressive relaxation training.