Assessment of the Effectiveness of Progressive Relaxation Techniques in Individuals With Ulcerative Colitis

Ulcerative colitis is a chronic disease that follows a course of remission and flare-ups. Especially during flare-ups, the worsening of symptoms negatively affects all aspects of the individual's life and decreases their quality of life. Individuals sometimes have difficulty accessing healthcare facilities. In addition, every hospital admission causes an additional burden on healthcare institutions and the individual, both physically and financially. Therefore, it is of great importance to support and develop self-management behaviors for individuals to control their symptoms. Progressive relaxation techniques are a relaxation method based on the principle of voluntary contraction and relaxation of muscle groups in our body. It has been reported that progressive relaxation techniques, which are applied in many chronic diseases and procedures, improve symptoms and disease parameters reported by individuals, especially pain, anxiety, and stress. When the literature in the world and Turkey is examined, no study applying progressive relaxation techniques to ulcerative colitis patients has been encountered. It is known that especially stress and anxiety affect the number and severity of flare-ups in ulcerative colitis patients. It is thought that this study will contribute to the self-management behaviors of ulcerative colitis patients in the rare diseases group for the Turkish population and fill the gap in the literature.