Effectiveness of progressive muscle relaxation on anxiety in community-dwelling older adults in Indonesia

Community-dwelling older adults are a vulnerable group frequently affected by anxiety, which may impair their health, functioning, and quality of life. Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) is a therapeutic method designed to induce relaxation and potentially reduce anxiety. This quasi-experimental study investigated the effect of PMR on anxiety levels among older adults in Pangkalpinang City, Indonesia, conducted from April to May 2020. A total of 138 participants were assigned to intervention (n=67) and non-intervention (n=71) groups. The intervention consisted of ten PMR sessions over five weeks, delivered twice weekly in small groups. Data were collected using the Geriatric Anxiety Inventory and analyzed via Wilcoxon and Mann-Whitney tests. The intervention group exhibited a significant reduction in anxiety from pre-test to post-test (p = 0.0001, p < 0.005), whereas the non-intervention group showed no meaningful change. The between-group comparison indicated a moderate effect (p = 0.0001, p < 0.005). PMR demonstrates beneficial outcomes in reducing anxiety among older adults; however, its implementation should involve trained health professionals and take into account individual conditions.