[Cognitive and behavioral strategies of stress management among Chinese urban residents].
OBJECTIVE
To identify the effective stress management strategies among the Chinese.


METHODS
The sample was selected from Hangzhou, Guangzhou, Chongqing and Taiyuan by using a multi-stage sampling procedure, including 3679 subjects. The data were collected using the household interviewing survey method. The Chinese perceived stress scales (CPSS) measured stress. Stress management strategies included the cognitive and behavioral ones, the former were further divided into positive, neutral and negative ones and the latter were divided into three kinds, i.e. looking for support, liberating and displacing, and relaxing and detracting. The frequency of their usage and their perceived effectiveness were assessed. Multivariable analysis was used to examine the association between various stress management strategies and stress.


RESULTS
The prevalence of health risk stress (HRS) was 44.54% (95% CI: 42.90% - 46.12%). Among the cognitive strategies, all the positive strategies and one of neutral strategies ("Suiyuan") were associated with lower HRS, and the rest of them had no effects. Among the behavioral strategies, all were associated with lower HRS except that of looking for support.


CONCLUSIONS
The effective stress management strategies identified in this study might be used to develop a stress management program.
Yang
Ting-zhong
TZ
School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China. tingzhongyang@sohu.com
Guo
Jun-xiang
JX
Chen
Bin
B
Huang
Jing-jing
JJ
Cai
Hai-rong
HR
Liu
Long-jian
LJ
D000328:Adult; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009790:Occupations; D011593:Psychology, Social; D012494:Sampling Studies; D012919:Social Behavior; D012931:Social Environment; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014505:Urban Population