MS-N319 · Mind-body and relaxation · Perioperative anxiety · Brain tumors · Human evidence · Appraised 13 November 2026
Can a brief nurse-led Benson relaxation program reduce anxiety and depressive symptoms around brain-tumor surgery?
Evidence at a glance
- Evidence label: One small randomized clinical trial; promising perioperative anxiety signal
- Benefit: Anxiety was lower 24 hours after surgery; depressive-symptom scores were also lower, although baseline depression scores were below the clinical threshold.
- Certainty: Low to moderate for a short-term anxiety effect; low for broader psychological or recovery outcomes.
- Risk: No intervention-related adverse events were reported, but relaxation must not interfere with neurologic monitoring or urgent symptom assessment.
What was studied
Seventy-four adults scheduled for brain-tumor resection were allocated to Benson relaxation or routine care; 70 completed the trial. The intervention combined muscle relaxation, diaphragmatic breathing and word repetition on ICU admission, 60 minutes before surgery and 24 hours afterward.
What the evidence found
At 24 hours after surgery, adjusted anxiety was 4.16 points lower with relaxation than control (95% CI −5.40 to −2.93). Adjusted depressive-symptom scores were 2.32 points lower (95% CI −3.51 to −1.12), but both groups started below the HADS-D threshold for clinically significant depression.
How to interpret it
This was a single-center 35-per-group analysis with very short follow-up. The depressive result is best understood as a difference in postoperative symptoms, not treatment of established major depression. Surgical recovery, analgesic use, length of stay and long-term mental health were not established as improved.
These outcomes concern symptoms, distress, sleep or supportive care. They do not establish tumor response, delayed recurrence, progression-free survival or longer overall survival.
Practical safety context
People undergoing craniotomy need individualized positioning, neurologic checks and medication plans. New confusion, weakness, severe headache, seizure, breathing difficulty or a change in consciousness requires clinical evaluation rather than a relaxation exercise. A trained clinician should decide when practice is appropriate around anesthesia and postoperative monitoring.
Questions for the care team
- Could a nurse or therapist adapt this safely around my neurologic checks?
- What symptoms should stop the exercise and prompt immediate assessment?
- Is my anxiety severe enough to need formal psycho-oncology or psychiatric support?
Funding and conflicts
The authors reported no competing interests. The abstract did not provide enough detail to verify the complete funding statement.
Sources
Last literature search: 13 November 2026. Record appraisal: 13 November 2026. The PubMed abstract was appraised; full-text funding and detailed missing-data fields were not independently verified. This page is educational and does not replace individualized medical advice.
