Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39496767›Full record

Trial reportScientific reports2024

Clinical effectiveness of guided breathing exercises in reducing anxiety, stress, and depression in COVID-19 patients.

Sara Sheikh, Asma Rostami, Azam Shahbazi, Fahime Abdollahi Nezhad, Omonabi Khazai, Azizollah Arbabisarjou

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in Scientific reports, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. The Effects of Guided Imagery on Women's Health: A Systematic Review of Experimental Studies.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026
    Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Trial
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Current oncology (Toronto, Ont.) · 2025
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Sara SheikhDepartment of ICU and nursing management, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Asma RostamiDepartment of ICU and nursing management, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Azam ShahbaziCommunity Nursing Research Center, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran.
Fahime Abdollahi NezhadCommunity Nursing Research Center, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran.
Omonabi KhazaiCommunity Nursing Research Center, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran.
Azizollah ArbabisarjouCommunity Nursing Research Center, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran. arbabisarjou2007@gmail.com.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase in the prevalence of anxiety, stress and depression among affected people. This study was conducted with the aim of investigating the clinical effectiveness of guided breathing exercises in reducing anxiety, stress and depression in patients with COVID-19. A quasi-experimental study design was used, involving a sample of COVID-19 patients who underwent guided breathing exercises as a complementary therapy. After simple sampling, eligible subjects were randomly divided into two groups: intervention (30 patients) and control (30 patients) using random block method. The Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) questionnaire was administered before and after the intervention to evaluate changes in anxiety, stress, and depression levels. The results of this study demonstrated that clinically guided breathing exercises had a significant effect on reducing anxiety and stress in COVID-19 patients. The intervention significantly reduced anxiety and stress scores (p < 0.001). However, there was no significant reduction in depression scores among patients who participated in guided breathing exercises (p = 0.946). Guided breathing exercises are an effective complementary technique in reducing the level of anxiety and stress in COVID-19 patients. Moreover, the exercises may provide a worthy non-pharmacological approach to managing psychological distress in COVID-19 patients.

Indexed as

AnxietyBreathing ExercisesCOVID-19DepressionStress, PsychologicalAdultAgedFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedSARS-CoV-2Surveys and QuestionnairesTreatment OutcomeAnxietyCOVID-19DepressionDepression anxiety stress Scale-21 (DASS-21)Guided breathing exercisesStress

Identifiers

PMID39496767
PMCPMC11535222

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.