Relaxation training and response to cardiac catheterization: a pilot study

This pilot study evaluated the effects of relaxation-via-letting-go training on patients' state anxiety, observer-reported distress, and self-reported distress during cardiac catheterization. The sample consisted of 30 adults, 15 subjects in the relaxation training group and 15 subjects in the control group. A comparison of the control and relaxation training groups on the demographic variables of age and education, the preintervention variables of state anxiety and worry about the procedure, and number of days in the hospital prior to catheterization showed no differences between the groups. Relaxation training subjects did not indicate less anxiety prior to catheterization nor were they seen as less distressed during the procedure than control subjects. In addition, relaxation subjects did not report having less distress than control subjects.