The Effect of Progressive Relaxation and Psychoeducation on Perceived Stress and Hope in Patients With Hematologic Malignancies: A Non-Randomized Study

Being healthy requires being in a state of complete physical and mental well-being. Therefore, mental and physical well-being must be maintained together. While each individual already has different stressors, the fact that hematological malignancies are chronic and immune-mediated diseases increases the stress factors perceived by individuals, and the difficulty and uncertainty of the process reduces their level of hope. This triggers the use of ineffective coping methods. Patients with high perceived stress levels and declining hope levels are unable to adequately manage the disease process. Consequently, mortality and morbidity rates increase. This experimentally planned study will be conducted between February 2026 and November 2026 at the Adult Inpatient Hematology Clinic of Gazi University Faculty of Medicine Hospital. The study will involve 75 individuals hospitalized at the clinic who meet the inclusion criteria. It is a non-randomized study with 2 intervention groups and 1 control group. Intervention group A (progressive relaxation group, n=25), intervention group B (psychoeducation, n=25), and control group (routine care, n=25). Patients in intervention group A will undergo a 3-week, 6-session progressive relaxation exercise program, conducted individually and face-to-face. Intervention Group B will receive a 3-week, 6-session, individual, face-to-face psychoeducation program. The control group will receive 3 weeks of routine nursing care identical to that provided to the other groups. In this study, which will include pre- and post-tests, data will be collected face-to-face using the perceived stress level scale and the Herth hope index scale. The primary objective of this study is to examine the effects of progressive relaxation and psychoeducation interventions on perceived stress and hope levels in patients with hematological malignancies.