The evaluation of a mind/body intervention to reduce psychological distress and perceived stress in college students.
The authors examined the effect of a 6-week mind/body intervention on college students' psychological distress, anxiety, and perception of stress. One hundred twenty-eight students were randomly assigned to an experimental group (n = 63) or a waitlist control group (n = 65). The experimental group received 6 90-minute group-training sessions in the relaxation response and cognitive behavioral skills. The Symptom Checklist-90-Revised, Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and the Perceived Stress Scale were used to assess the students' psychological state before and after the intervention. Ninety students (70% of the initial sample) completed the postassessment measure. Significantly greater reductions in psychological distress, state anxiety, and perceived stress were found in the experimental group. This brief mind/body training may be useful as a preventive intervention for college students, according to the authors, who called for further research to determine whether the observed treatment effect can be sustained over a longer period of time.
Deckro
Gloria R
GR
Mind/Body Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA. gdeckro@caregroup.harvard.edu
Ballinger
Keli M
KM
Hoyt
Michael
M
Wilcher
Marilyn
M
Dusek
Jeffery
J
Myers
Patricia
P
Greenberg
Beth
B
Rosenthal
David S
DS
Benson
Herbert
H
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D026441:Mind-Body Therapies; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014481:United States; D014495:Universities