title: [An integrative and transdiagnostic relaxation protocol for anxious patients. Results of a pilot study].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The literature data show that relaxation practice is effective in reducing anxiety symptoms. Different techniques such as progressive muscular relaxation, autogenic training, applied relaxation and meditation have been evaluated independently for anxiety disorders. The question is to know whether the combination of various techniques may be of interest in the transdiagnostic treatment of anxiety disorders.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The present study assessed the short-term efficacy of a 10-week integrative and transdiagnostic relaxation program for anxiety disorders in outpatients of an anxiety disorders unit.
  
  
  METHODS
  The diagnoses were made according to the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI; Sheehan et al., 1998) and completed with an assessment of anxiety and depressive symptoms using: the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-Y, -S and -T), the Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II). Four techniques were integrated into the structured 10-week protocol: breathing control, muscular relaxation, meditation and mental visualization.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-eight patients (12 men and 16 women), mean age (S.D.)=38.82 years (11.57), were included in the study. All the included patients fulfilled the DSM-IV criteria for a current diagnosis of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (n=13) or Panic Disorder (n=15) with or without agoraphobia. At the end of the 10 sessions, we found a significant reduction in mean scores (S.D.) on the STAI-T from 53.179 (6.037) to 49.821 (8.028) (P<0.02), the BDI-II 20.964 (13.167) to 15.429 (11.341) (d=0.6543) and the QIPS 55.071 (10.677) to 49.679 (11.7) (d=0.5938). The observed reduction in the STAI-S (d=0.2776) was not significant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of this open study showed that this program significantly decreases the level of trait anxiety, depression and worry. The integrative and transdiagnostic relaxation program could represent an accessible and effective treatment to reduce anxious and depressive symptoms in various anxiety disorders. Future research should address the development of controlled trials assessing the impact of the different dimensions of anxiety and the long-term effects of this protocol.
authors.affiliation: Consultation spécialisée sur le stress et l'anxiété, service universitaire de psychiatrie adulte, hôpital Fontan, CHRU, rue Verhaeghe, 59037 Lille cedex, France. Electronic address: dominique.servant@chru-lille.fr.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Servant
authors.affiliation: Consultation spécialisée sur le stress et l'anxiété, service universitaire de psychiatrie adulte, hôpital Fontan, CHRU, rue Verhaeghe, 59037 Lille cedex, France; Unité de formation et recherche en psychologie, laboratoire Psitec, EA 4072, université Lille-3, 59650 Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Germe
authors.affiliation: Consultation spécialisée sur le stress et l'anxiété, service universitaire de psychiatrie adulte, hôpital Fontan, CHRU, rue Verhaeghe, 59037 Lille cedex, France; Unité de formation et recherche en psychologie, laboratoire Psitec, EA 4072, université Lille-3, 59650 Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Autuori
authors.affiliation: Consultation spécialisée sur le stress et l'anxiété, service universitaire de psychiatrie adulte, hôpital Fontan, CHRU, rue Verhaeghe, 59037 Lille cedex, France; Unité de formation et recherche en psychologie, laboratoire Psitec, EA 4072, université Lille-3, 59650 Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: De Almeida
authors.affiliation: Consultation spécialisée sur le stress et l'anxiété, service universitaire de psychiatrie adulte, hôpital Fontan, CHRU, rue Verhaeghe, 59037 Lille cedex, France.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hay
authors.affiliation: Unité de formation et recherche en psychologie, laboratoire Psitec, EA 4072, université Lille-3, 59650 Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Douilliez
authors.affiliation: Consultation spécialisée sur le stress et l'anxiété, service universitaire de psychiatrie adulte, hôpital Fontan, CHRU, rue Verhaeghe, 59037 Lille cedex, France.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vaiva
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011594:Psychometrics; D012064:Relaxation Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: Anxiety disorders; Generalized anxiety disorder; Mindfulness; Panic disorder; Pleine conscience; Relaxation; Trouble anxieux généralisé; Trouble panique; Troubles anxieux