This pilot study examined whether brief 1-session stress management strategies can reduce acute subjective distress and buffer physiological stress responses to a laboratory-based social stress test. We randomized 120 healthy young adults to a brief enhanced-mindfulness intervention, a somatic-relaxation intervention, or an attention-only control group. All participants then underwent the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST; Kirschbaum, Pirke, & Hellhammer, 1993), a highly standardized and validated laboratory-based social stress induction protocol. We examined acute subjective distress via self-report, as well as salivary assays of cortisol (sCORT) and alpha-amylase (sAA) during the experiment. Participants in the 2 active stress management groups reported significant reductions in subjective distress during the intervention portion compared with the control group. There were also significant group differences for sCORT responsiveness to the TSST favoring the stress management groups. Reductions in subjective distress reported during the brief interventions were significantly associated with attenuation in sCORT response during the TSST. These results provide preliminary evidence that even very brief stress management strategies may be effective in reducing acute distress and also at buffering physiological response during social stress. Practical implications of these findings and future research are discussed.
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