Sloman, R. (2002). Relaxation and imagery for anxiety and depression control in community patients with advanced cancer. Cancer Nursing, 25, 432–435.

To determine the efficacy of relaxation and imagery for control of depression and anxiety

Patients were assigned to one of four treatment conditions:

• progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) training
• guided imagery training
• both PMR and guided imagery training
• control group

 A trained nurse taught patients the techniques in their homes, left a tape recorder and cassette, and asked subjects to practice the technique(s) twice daily. The nurse visited twice weekly to repeat the sessions.

In the control group, the nurse spent an equal amount of time with subjects, discussing general health and treatment concerns.

Investigators conducted pretesting. Post-testing occurred, for all subjects, three weeks after the initial session.

The sample was composed of 26 men and 30 women. All participants had advanced cancer and were receiving palliative care.

• Home
• Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

• Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), to measure anxiety and depression
• Functional Living Index-Cancer (FLIC), to measure quality of life

All three treatment groups showed significant reduction in depression, compared to the control group. No one treatment proved to be significantly superior, and none of the three treatments produced a significant reduction in anxiety.

• The study had a small sample size, with fewer than 56 participants.
• Authors did not provide a clear description of the PMR and guided imagery techniques, so replication would be difficult.
• The study occurred in one site, with one nurse conducting the interventions.
• Post-testing at three weeks showed a short-term benefit; long-term benefits were not addressed.