title: Self-monitoring of a stress reduction technique using wrist-worn counters.
abstract: In a study of 59 veterans and healthcare workers, the reliability of a self-monitoring method used to track the frequency of a spiritually oriented stress reduction technique was assessed. During a 5-week program of silently repeating a mantram (a spiritual word or phrase) to lower stress and anger and improve spiritual well-being, portable wrist-worn counters were used to track daily mantram practice sessions. All outcomes significantly improved in the hypothesized direction. Mantram practice tracked by the counters was highly correlated (r = .84) with retrospective self-reports, indicating that such counters may be a reliable self-monitoring tool and could be used to measure a variety of other behavioral health quality indicators.
authors.affiliation: VA San Diego Healthcare System, USA. jill.bormann@va.gov
authors.forename: Jill E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Bormann
authors.forename: Tom L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Martha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shively
authors.forename: Mary Ellen
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Dellefield
authors.forename: Allen L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Gifford
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002140:California; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018670:Monitoring, Ambulatory / Q000295:instrumentation*; D012653:Self Stimulation; D029181:Spirituality; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014953:Wrist