The effect of education and progressive relaxation exercise-based practice on quality of life, perceived stress and coping ways of caregivers of individuals with intellectual disabilities: A randomized controlled study

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: It is known that caregivers with mental disabilities have low quality of life, high stress perception, and ways of coping with low stress. In this study, it was aimed to determine the effect of an intervention program using RAM-based education and PGE on the quality of life, perceived stress and coping ways of caregivers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, a pretest-posttest randomized controlled experimental design with 3 experiments and 1 control group was used as the research design. The study was conducted with 140 caregivers (n=35 for each group) of mentally retarded individuals who were rehabilitated in 4 rehabilitation centers. Data were obtained by using personal information form, YBYKA, ASÖ-14, SBÇYA questionnaires. Within the scope of the study, Roy adaptation model-based face-to-face training and PGE were applied to the 1st experimental group, a mobile application including Roy adaptation model-based training contents and PGE exercises was designed and applied to the 2nd experimental group, and face-to-face training and mobile design application to the 3rd experimental group. applied together. The data were evaluated using the SPSS statistics 22 package program and statistical significance was accepted as p<.005. In the evaluation of the data; frequency, percentage, chi-square analysis, one-way variance, t test for independent groups and t test for dependent groups were used. RESULTS: While there was a statistically significant difference between the pretest-posttest mean scores of YBYKA, ASÖ-14, and SBÇYA in caregivers with mental disabilities, there was a negative significance in the control group (p<.005). CONCLUSIONS: It has been determined that it can be applied reliably and effectively in all three application groups (face-to-face, mobile application and face-to-face+mobile application) in increasing the quality of life, reducing stress and increasing the ways of coping with stress in caregivers with mental disabilities. Suggestions were made in line with the results. Keywords: Roy adaptation model, intellectual disability, caregivers, mobile health, progressive relaxation exercises, quality of life, stress, coping with stress.