International Journal of Innovative Research in Health Science

Introduction: Aging, health conditions and social factors make the elderly population prone to anxiety and stress, which influence their overall health and the quality of life. Aim: To determine how well Jacobson Progressive Muscle Relaxation technique works in reducing anxiety and stress in the elderly. Methodology: A quasi-experimental design of pre-test and post-test was used to determine the quantitative methods. Purposive sampling was used to sample 60 aged participants who were allocated in experimental (n= 30) and control (n= 30) groups. The experimental group was administered PMR intervention and the control group was administered no intervention. The Geriatric Anxiety Scale and Perceived Stress Scale were used to collect data. Result: There was a significant decrease in the levels of anxiety and stress within the experimental group following the intervention (p<0.05), but within the control group no significant enhancement was observed. Comparison of the post-test results in the groups showed that there was a statistically significant difference which implies that PMR is effective. Most demographic variables did not have a significant association with outcomes. Conclusion: The Progressive Muscle Relaxation technique created by Jacobson is a powerful, safe and cost-effective way of alleviating stress and anxiety in the old-aged, enhancing their psychological health.