Jacobson's Progressive Muscle Relaxation (JPMR) Training to Reduce Stress among People Living with HIV

The term AIDS refers only to the last stage of the HIV infection. AIDS can be called as our modern pandemic affecting both industrialized and developing countries.

To assess the stress as measured by Stress scale for people living with HIV, to determine the effectiveness of JPMR in terms of reduction in the mean posttest stress scores, to find factors contributing the stress and to find the association of stress among people living with HIV with selected demographic and disease specific variables.

One group pretest posttest design was used. Thirty People living with HIV admitted in District Hospital at ART center, Udupi were selected and demographic and diseases specific proforma and stress scale for people living with HIV were administered. Purposive sampling technique was used for the study.

Out of 14 subjects, the most experienced ART side effects were weakness 16.7% (14), followed by vomiting 10% (3). Out of 21 subjects, 43.30% (14) had tuberculosis, 20% (6) had candidiasis. The least experienced opportunistic infections were pneumocystis pneumonia 6.70% (2).Out of 30 subjects, Maximum number of subjects experienced severe stress 43.3% (13).There was significance difference between mean difference of pretest and post test scores of stress (t=9.727, df=29, p=0.001). The JPMR training was effective in reducing the stress. Stress is dependent on CD4 count (?2=13.022, df=4, p=0.01).

JPMR is a simple non-invasive, cost effective method that can be used for promotion of quality of life without any adverse effects on the people living with HIV. The result showed that JPMR training had a positive effect in reducing the stress and JPMR can be used as an effective alternative therapy.