Effects of relaxation breathing exercise on fatigue and cortisol level among Indonesian gynecological cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy: a pilot study†
Article Category: Original article
Data publikacji: 26 cze 2024
Zakres stron: 201 - 208
Otrzymano: 20 sty 2024
Przyjęty: 23 mar 2024
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/fon-2024-0022
Słowa kluczowe
© 2024 Mulhaeriah Mulhaeriah et al., published by Sciendo
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Objective
This study aimed to determine the effect of the relaxation breathing exercise (RBE) on fatigue and cortisol levels among Indonesian women with gynecological cancer undergoing chemotherapy.
Methods
This pilot study consecutively recruited 44 gynecological cancer patients to receive RBE (22) or usual care (22). Cortisol level was measured before and after completion of the intervention (day 8). Fatigue was measured using the Piper Fatigue Scale (PFS). Anxiety and depression were assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) at the baseline days of the study for days 1, 4, and 8. The obtained data were analyzed using Fisher’s exact test, the independent
Results
There were significant increases in cortisol levels within the groups, either the intervention or control groups, respectively (
Conclusions
RBE helps prevent a significant increase in cortisol levels that can alleviate fatigue for women with gynecological cancer. Further research was recommended to compare several intervention modalities for fatigue and cancer-related symptom management based on cortisol level changes.