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Response to Induced Relaxation During Pregnancy: Comparison of Women with High Versus Low Levels of Anxiety

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Abstract

Relaxation exercises have become a standard intervention for individuals with anxiety disorders but little is known about their potential for anxiety relief during pregnancy. The purpose of this study was to examine psychoendocrine (i) baseline differences and (ii) changes after a standardized relaxation period in pregnant women with high versus low levels of anxiety. Thirty-nine third-trimester high and low anxious pregnant women performed active or passive relaxation while levels of anxiety, hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis and sympathetic-adrenal-medullary (SAM) system activity were assessed before and after the relaxation period. In women with high levels of trait anxiety, state anxiety (F(1,36) = 8.3, p = .007) and negative affect (F(1,36) = 7.99, p = .008) as well as ACTH (F(1,35) = 9.24, p = .002) remained elevated over the entire course of the experimental procedure, the last indicating increased HPA axis activity. In addition, norepinephrine showed a constricted decrease of relaxation reflecting lower response of the SAM-system (F(1,37) = 4.41, p = .043). Although relaxation exercises have become a standard intervention for individuals with anxiety, pregnant women with high levels of trait anxiety benefited less than women with low levels from a single standardized relaxation period.

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Acknowledgments

This work is part of the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) Swiss Etiological Study of Adjustment and Mental Health (sesam).The Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF) (project no. 51A240-104890), the University of Basel and the Freie Akademische Gesellschaft provided core support for the NCCR sesam. This publication is the work of the authors. Judith Alder, Ph.D. serves as guarantor for the paper. This research was specifically supported by the University Women’s Hospital of Basel. We are grateful to the biochemical laboratory of the University of Trier, Germany for the analyses of blood and saliva samples and for their expert advice.

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Correspondence to Judith Alder.

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Alder, J., Urech, C., Fink, N. et al. Response to Induced Relaxation During Pregnancy: Comparison of Women with High Versus Low Levels of Anxiety. J Clin Psychol Med Settings 18, 13–21 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10880-010-9218-z

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