Snoezelen Therapy Reduces Stress and Biomedical Markers in Physiotherapy Students During Examinations

Purpose: Stress is the body’s internal reaction to any external stimulus that is considered harmful. Nowadays, many scientists deal with the issue of stress and coping strategies among students. Among the methods described as a form of relaxation therapy is the Snoezelen method, which is one of the most popular therapeutic methods included in so-called multisensory environments. This study aimed to assess the impact of Snoezelen therapy on stress in physiotherapy students during an examination session. Methods: Fifty-two randomly selected physiotherapy students qualified to participate in the study. They were divided into two groups: the experimental group (26 people: 18 women and 8 men), which included students who underwent a series of nine 30-minute sessions (for three weeks on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays) 30 min each, in the Snoezelen room, and the control group (26 people: 18 women and 8 men), who had no therapeutic intervention. Each person participating in the study completed the authors’ survey questionnaire and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) twice, and all people had their resting blood pressure and resting heart rate measured twice, and an electromyographic examination of the trapezius dorsi muscle performed. Results: Some of the tested indicators improved significantly in the experimental group after therapy, including PHQ-9, blood pressure after session 3 to 9, heart rate after session 2 to 9 and muscular activities (rest, abduction od the upper limb and rest after fatigue phases). Such correlations were observed in the control group only in blood pressure after first and the last measurement. Conclusions: A series of therapeutic sessions in the Snoezelen room improved the level of relaxation and reduced the level of stress, alleviated the symptoms of depression and lowered the heart rate and blood pressure in the studied students