Examining Muscular Relaxation Technique Effect on Fatigue of Parents Having Children with Leukemia Under Chemotherapy Treatment In Instructional Hospitals of Zahedan

Fatigue is the overall and consistent decrease of usual physical and mental abilities. Although its common treatment is pharmacotherapy, its temporary effect and side effects have led to studies related to non-pharmacologic actions, alternative and complementary medicine in recent years. The aim of this study is to determine the effect of muscular relaxation method on fatigue of parents of children with leukemia undergoing chemotherapy.

It is an interventional study. Statistical population included parents of children with leukemia that 120 of them were put in two groups of case control and control and treated by Benson's relaxation method. Data gathering tools included demographic information questionnaire and fatigue intensity assessing questionnaire. The data were analyzed by SPSS version 18 software and statistical tests of paired sample T test, Wilcoxon, T test, Pearson correlation and one-way ANOVA.

The mean of fatigue score in case control group was 73+_14.63 and 43.71 +_11.06 respectively before and after the intervention, there was also a significant statistical difference of fatigue between case control and control group after the intervention. A significant negative statistical relationship was observed between fatigue and age variable but there was no significant statistical relationship among fatigue with variable like weight, son and daughter numbers, education, occupation, gender, residence and income (P>0.05)

Planning consistently for parents of children with leukemia to make them participate in classes and training sessions of muscular relaxation techniques with the other parents and understanding other parent's conditions will promote family performance, fatigue and totally the mental health of society and family which finally promotes the quality of life of all family members and the sick child.