title: Relaxation training as a treatment for irritable bowel syndrome.
abstract: Although there have been many successful, controlled demonstrations of the clinical efficacy of multicomponent treatments for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), in the present study we sought to evaluate a single component of many of these regimens, relaxation training. Eight IBS patients received a 10-session (over 8 weeks) regimen of abbreviated progressive muscle relaxation with regular home practice while 8 comparable patients merely monitored GI symptoms. Based on daily GI symptom diaries collected for 4 weeks before and 4 weeks after treatment (or continued symptom monitoring), the Relaxation condition showed significantly (p = .05) more improvement on a composite measure of primary GI symptom reduction than the Symptom Monitoring condition. Fifty percent of the Relaxation group were clinically improved at the end of treatment.
authors.affiliation: Center for Stress and Anxiety Disorders, University at Albany-SUNY.
authors.forename: E B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Blanchard
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Greene
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Scharff
authors.forename: S P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Schwarz-McMorris
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003109:Colonic Diseases, Functional / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012064:Relaxation Therapy; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016896:Treatment Outcome