Effect of breathing relaxation on stress related to COVID-19 pandemic among older adults in nursing homes: A preexperimental study

Abstract

Background: Older adults in nursing homes are facing more mental health consequences due to the COVID-19 pandemic situation. Assessment of the appropriate intervention in declining the level of stress related to pandemic situations among institutionalized older adults is critical. Purpose: This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of breathing relaxation on stress related to the COVID-19 pandemic among older adults in nursing homes. Methods: A pre-experimental with a one-group pretest-posttest design was used in the present study. Thirty older adults were recruited using the purposive sampling method. The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) related to COVID-19 was used to identify the level of stress among older adults. Twenty minutes of breathing relaxation were conducted once a day for 1-week from January 6 to January 12, 2021. The intervention was taught and guided by the researcher in small groups of 5-7 older adults based on the number of residents in the homesteads. Results: Of 30 participants, 60% were female, and the mean age was 72.80 (SD=8.50) years. The average length of stay in the nursing home was 8.10 (SD=8.75) years. The older adults in nursing homes who performed breathing relaxation once a day for one week significantly decreased their stress related to the COVID-19 pandemic (t = 4.881, ρ = .000). Conclusion: Based on this finding, breathing relaxation therapy could be promised as one of the interventions that could reduce the stress level associated with COVID-19 among older adults in nursing homes.