Effect of Jacobson's Relaxation Technique versus Warm Compresses on Pain Intensity, Fatigue and Quality of Life among Nursing Students with Primary Dysmenorrhea 

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Assistant Professor of Obstetric & Gynecologic Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Damanhour University, Egypt

2 Assistant Professor of Obstetric & Gynecologic Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Alexandria University, Egypt

3 Lecturer of Community Health Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Damanhour University, Egypt

Abstract

 Background: The quality of life for females who experience primary dysmenorrhea, which causes spasmodic cramping in the lower abdomen, back, or inner thighs, may be negatively impacted. Therefore, non-pharmacological methods such as Jacobson's relaxation technique and warm compresses can be safe and effective treatment for primary dysmenorrhea, as they reduce women's menstrual pain and improve their quality of life. Aim of the study: to investigate the effect of Jacobson's relaxation technique versus warm compresses on pain intensity, fatigue and quality of life among nursing students with primary dysmenorrheal Design: A quasi-experimental, comparative research design. Sample: A convenient sample of 100 female students with primary dysmenorrhea. Setting: This study was carried out at the Faculty of Nursing, Damanhour University in El-Beheira Governorate, Egypt, from the beginning of March 2022 till the end of June 2022.Data Collection Tools: four tools were utilized, tool one: basic data structured interview schedule, which included socio-demographic and clinical data as well as menstrual history and dietary habits; tool two: Visual Analog Scale (VAS);tool three: Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) and tool four: 36-Item Short Form Survey (SF-36).Results: after intervention, severe pain was declined (2%) among the Jacobson's relaxation technique group, but it remained the same among the warm compresses group. in contrast, fatigue was diminished (78%) among the latter group, while it was dropped (52%) among the former group. In addition; the warm compresses group obtained significantly better total score of quality of life than the Jacobson's relaxation technique group in terms of general health (P=0.000), energy/fatigue (P=0.043) and emotional well-being (P=0.046) Conclusion: : it was concluded from this study that although Jacobson's relaxation technique was a little bit more effective in relieving menstrual pain than warm compresses, the latter was more effective in relieving fatigue and improving quality of life than the former. .Recommendations: Health teaching classes for adolescent should be conducted to teach them about the benefits of Jacobson's relaxation technique and warm compresses in decreasing menstrual pain 

Keywords

Egyptian Journal of Health Care
Volume 14, Issue 1
March 2023
Pages 1122-1137

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics