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Efficacy of Progressive Muscle Relaxation in Adults for Stress, Anxiety, and Depression: A Systematic Review
Systematic review (46 publications; >3,402 adults across 16 countries) concludes PMR reduces stress, anxiety, and depression, with stronger signals when PMR is combined with other interventions—qualitative synthesis without single pooled effect sizes in the PubMed abstract.
Design
- Databases: Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, PsycINFO, CENTRAL through 28 Mar 2023
- Included: adult studies reporting PMR for stress, anxiety, or depression
- Corpus: 46 publications; >3,402 participants; 16 countries
- Appraisal: Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal tools
Headline conclusions (authors)
- PMR appears effective for stress, anxiety, and depression in adults
- Combined PMR + other interventions often shows enhanced efficacy versus PMR alone in the reviewed literature
How to use next to PMID 41633054
Treat this row as a breadth / narrative map of the adult PMR mental-health literature; numeric pooled sleep and PSQI estimates belong to the 2025 meta-analysis (pmr-2025-sleep-mental-health-meta) and primary RCTs cited there.
Funding note
Abstract reports Ministry of Higher Education (Malaysia) FRGS funding—routine COI hygiene when juxtaposing against industry-funded device trials in adjacent relaxation modalities.
Outcomes
- Depression & Anxiety Composite ScoreSystematic review of 46 publications (>3,402 adults): authors report PMR efficacious for stress, anxiety, and depression, with combined interventions often outperforming PMR alone—qualitative synthesis in abstract.