The effect of progressive relaxation exercises on clinical anxiety level of nursing students

The Effect of Progressive Relaxation Exercises on Clinical Anxiety Level of Nursing Students The research was conducted experimentally in order to determine the effect of progressive relaxation exercises on clinical anxiety level of first grade nursing students. The research sample consisted of 44 students (experimental: 22, control: 22) who performed clinical practices in Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University Yenimahalle Training and Research Hospital within the scope of Nursing Essentials Course, accepted to participate the research, and matched the research criteria in Yıldırım Beyazıt University in 2014-2015 academic year. The data in the research were collected with "Questionnaire Form on Introductory Characteristics", "State-Trait Anxiety Inventory" and "Feedback Form on Perceived Anxiety". PRE was applied to the students in the experimental group for 6 weeks before the clinical practice, and during the clinical practice, but it has never been applied to the students in the control group. The effect of PRE on anxiety level of students according to time (Before and after PGE, the first day of clinical practice in the morning and afternoon, the last week of clinical practice) was investigated. Number and percentage, Chi-Square Test, Mann Whitney U Test, Shapiro-Wilk Test, Levene's Test, Box's M Test, Mauchly's Test, Bonferroni Correction, Friedman Two-Way Analysis of Variance and Correlation Analysis were used in the evaluation of the data. In the research, trait anxiety score average of students is =48.2±3.6 for experimental group and =46.7±4.9 for control group. State anxiety score averages of experimental students have significantly reduced: at the first clinical day before PRE: =64.6±4.3, at the first clinical day after PRE: =31.9±3.6, at the end of the first clinical day: =26.0±2.6 and after the clinical practice: =22.0±1.9. The median values of perceived anxiety have also significantly decreased: at the first clinical day before PRE: 8.0 (min=7.0; max=10.0), at the first clinical day after PRE: 4.0 (min= 2.0; max= 6.0), at the end of the clinical day: 2.0 (min= 0.0; max= 3.0) and at the end of the clinical practice: 0.0 (min= 0.0; max= 3.0) (p<0.05). In the light of the results of the study, nursing students were recommended to apply PRE before and during clinical practice. Keywords: Clinical training, felt anxiety, nursing education, progressive relaxation, state-trait anxiety,