Objective: Many college students have a history of interpersonal violence (IPV) and are thus at risk of greater mental health problems. This study evaluated the efficacy of a web-based stress management program targeting the established protective factor of present control in promoting well-being among students with and without a history of IPV. Method: Students from an introductory psychology course were randomly assigned in a 2:1 ratio to the web-based stress management intervention (n = 329) or the waitlist comparison group (n = 171). Self-report measures of 4 outcomes (perceived stress, symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress) and 2 mediators of intervention efficacy (present control, rumination) were completed online pre- and postintervention. IPV history was assessed preintervention. Results: Thirty-nine percent reported an IPV history. The intervention group reported less distress than the comparison group at posttest but effects were larger in the IPV group (mean d = .44) than in the no IPV group (mean d = .10). Increases in present control mediated intervention effects in both groups; decreases in rumination mediated intervention effects in the IPV group only. Conclusions: Web-based universal prevention stress management programs may be a cost-effective way to teach protective skills to students with an IPV history.

This study is a feasibility test of whether incorporating trauma-sensitive yoga into group therapy for female victims of partner violence improves symptoms of anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) beyond that achieved with group therapy alone. Seventeen (9 control, 8 intervention) adult female clients seeking group psychotherapy were enrolled. A 12-week trauma-sensitive yoga protocol was administered once weekly for 30–40 min at the end of each group therapy session. The control group received typical group psychotherapy. Feasibility was assessed through recruitment and retention rates as well as participants’ self-reported perceptions of the safety and utility of the study. The study enrolled 85% (17/20) of those screened eligible. Loss to follow-up was 30% (5/17). No one reported emotional or physical harm. All of the respondents reported that the study was personally meaningful and that the results would be useful to others.

This study evaluated the efficacy of Internet-based stress management programs for college students. This approach is particularly fitting for students owing to a lack of mental health resources on campus and to high levels of Internet use among students. Because a history of interpersonal trauma (IPT) is associated with more distress and poorer academic performance, IPT history was assessed as a moderator of intervention efficacy. Students (N = 365) were randomly assigned to a mindfulness plus present control intervention, a mindfulness only intervention, or a stress management information condition that served as an active comparison. Prior research has supported the efficacy of the mindfulness plus present control intervention (Nguyen-Feng et al., 2015). Outcome measures were self-report measures of stress, anxiety, depression, and perceived stress completed online at preintervention, postintervention, and 2 follow-ups (2-3 weeks and 4-5 weeks postintervention). Linear mixed modeling was used to assess change over time. Participants in all 3 groups reported significant decreases on all primary outcomes. All time-by-intervention group interaction effects were nonsignificant, suggesting that the 3 conditions were equally effective. When examining IPT history as a moderator, the mindfulness plus present control and stress management conditions were both more effective for IPT survivors than the mindfulness only intervention. Results suggested that Internet-based interventions are effective for lowering distress among college students and that specific approaches may be differentially effective for certain subgroups of students. They also suggested that providing students with stress management information without providing training in 1 specific skill may also be helpful. (PsycINFO Database Record

No abstract

Despite evidence of the physiologic impact of trauma, treatments are only beginning to focus on the impact of trauma on the body. Yoga may be a promising treatment for trauma sequelae, given research that supports yoga for general distress. The present study aims to systematically assess and quantitatively synthesize the effectiveness of yoga interventions for psychological symptoms (posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD], depression, anxiety symptoms) following potentially traumatic life events. The following electronic databases were systematically searched: PsycINFO, Ovid Medline/PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, and Embase/Embase Classic. Google Scholar, Mendeley, Open Research and Contributor Identification, and Fig Share were hand searched post hoc. The review focused on studies with a comparison group that measured psychological symptoms before and after intervention. After screening and reviewing, 12 articles (N = 791) were included, with interventions ranging from 2 days to 16 weeks. If a study contained multiple conditions, between-groups differences were only examined between the yoga and inactive control group. Though overall between-groups (yoga vs. comparison) effect sizes ranged from = 0.40-1.06, the systematic review and quantitative synthesis did not find strong evidence for the effectiveness of yoga as an intervention for PTSD, depression, and anxiety symptoms following traumatic life experiences due to low quality and high risk of bias of studies. As yoga has promise for managing psychological symptoms among trauma survivors, this review calls for more rigorous design of future studies to allow definitive conclusions regarding the use of yoga in mental health treatment of trauma survivors. (PsycINFO Database Record

Focusing on perceived present control as a teachable skill may be a useful addition to voice disorder treatment armamentarium. Future studies will incorporate a comparison group and larger sample sizes to assess further the role of perceived present control interventions in voice care.

The primary aim of the present study was to assess 2 potential mediators (daily avoidant coping and perceived control) of the relations between past sexual victimization and childhood emotional abuse and current distress. Participants (N = 268) were undergraduate students in psychology courses at a large Midwestern university who completed measures of sexual victimization, childhood emotional abuse, neuroticism, and distress at baseline; daily measures of avoidant coping and perceived control over stressors for 14 days (Time 2); and measures of avoidant coping, perceived control, and distress at Time 3. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test the mediation model. The indirect path between childhood emotional abuse and T3 distress through daily avoidant coping was significant and remained significant in an alternate model that controlled for baseline neuroticism. The indirect effect of childhood emotional abuse on T3 distress through perceived control was not significant. Sexual victimization was not associated with greater use of avoidant coping or perceived control in the SEM models. The present study added to the literature by assessing multiple traumas and multiple mediators using longitudinal, daily diary methods. (PsycINFO Database Record

Interpersonal violence (IPV) is common among college students and is associated with greater distress and school dropout. A web-based intervention designed to increase perceived present control has been shown to be effective in decreasing distress in this at-risk population (Nguyen-Feng et al., 2015). The present study evaluated the efficacy of 2 new versions of this intervention relative to the original intervention. Psychology students (N = 314) from a large Midwestern university, most of whom identified as White (72%) and female (63%), were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 conditions: the original present control intervention, an enhanced present control intervention, or a present control plus mindfulness intervention. Self-report measures of distress (depression, anxiety, stress symptoms), perceived stress, and worry were completed pre- and postintervention. IPV history was reported by 35% of the sample. Analyses of covariance assessed whether there were differences in efficacy across the 3 conditions or interactions between intervention condition and IPV status; significant interactions would indicate that students with and without a history of IPV responded differently to the 3 interventions. There were significant Condition × IPV interactions for distress symptoms and worry. Paired t tests suggested that the 2 new versions of the intervention decreased symptoms more than the original intervention, and that the enhanced present control intervention decreased symptoms the most among students with an IPV history (mean within-group d = −.48). This brief web-based intervention may be an effective way of targeting skills and decreasing general distress among students with (and without) an IPV history.