The effect of Benson relaxation program and progressive muscle relaxation on emotional intelligence of nurses in intensive care units: A randomized clinical trial

Introduction: The effect of emotional intelligence on the success of individuals in health care organizations is very important. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of Benson relaxation and progressive muscle relaxation on emotional intelligence of nurses in special departments. Materials and Methods: In this clinical trial study, 105 nurses of the intensive care units of Ayatollah Kashani and Hajar hospitals in Shahrekord during 2018-2019, were randomly divided into two groups: Benson's progressive muscle relaxation and relaxation intervention group (35 people) and one group Control (35 people). The Benson relaxation intervention group performed Benson relaxation exercises for up to 20 minutes once a day for three months. The progressive muscle relaxation intervention group performed relaxation exercises for 45 minutes during three months on a daily basis. The data was collected through questionnaire of Shirring Emotional Intelligence and demographic information that was completed in three groups during before, immediately after, and three months after the intervention. Data were analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistics using SPSS version 18 and with significant level (P= 0.05). Findings: Based on the results of ANOVA test with repeated measurement, the mean scores of emotional intelligence before and immediately after intervention in the progressive muscle relaxation group were significantly different (P= 0.008), while this difference was not significant in the control group (P = 0.515). It was also found that the mean score of emotional intelligence in Benson relaxation group was not significant before and immediately after the intervention (P = 0.345), while before and three months after intervention in Benson relaxation group was significant (P = 0.002). Conclusion: The results showed that progressive muscle relaxation and Benson have a beneficial effect on emotional intelligence and can be implemented and educated as useful tools for improving the emotional intelligence of nurses in critical care units.