Meta-analytic evaluation of stress reduction interventions for undergraduate and graduate students.

Abstract

Growing numbers of students in college or graduate school experience high stress, resulting in adverse emotional, academic, and health outcomes. A variety of stress reduction interventions have been used with students, but their effectiveness has not been systematically examined. We used meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy of stress reduction interventions for undergraduate and graduate students. Studies (k ϭ 43) that used an appropriate control group and assessed distress before and after intervention were aggregated using a random-effects model. Most studies were conducted in the United States; others were from Asia, Europe, and Australia. Standardized mean gain difference effect sizes were calculated for anxiety and perceived stress for six intervention techniques. Moderators examined included student type (undergraduate and graduate) and duration of intervention. Results indicate that most interventions are effective in decreasing both outcomes in students. Cognitive-behavioral therapy, coping skills, and social support interventions were more effective in reducing perceived stress, whereas relaxation training, mindfulness-based stress reduction, and psychoeducation were more effective in reducing anxiety. Graduate students experienced greater reduction in anxiety than did undergraduates for relaxation training and psychoeducation interventions. Participants in both long-and short-term interventions showed significant reduction in anxiety and perceived stress relative to control groups, but for relaxation training, long-term interventions were more effective in reducing anxiety than were short-term interventions. Although all six techniques were effective in reducing at least one of the stress-related outcomes, the few differences in effectiveness suggest there is value in tailoring interventions toward the particular group and outcome being targeted.

On the role of mindfulness and compassion skills in students' coping, well‐being, and development across the transition to college: A conceptual analysis

“…These findings may be partly a result of the intercorrelations between these constructs, the difficulty with teasing apart the unique contributions of each, or issues with measuring these phenomena using self‐reports (Davidson & Kaszniak, ). At the same time, there is a growing evidence that suggests that MC skills may positively impact young people's well‐being and health‐related behaviours (Bamber, Kraenzle Schneider, & Schneider, ; Regehr, Glancy, & Pitts, 2013; Shapiro, Brown, & Astin, ; Yusufov, Nicoloro‐SantaBarbara, Grey, Moyer, & Lobel, ) warranting further examination of the potential benefits during the transition to college. Here we conceptualize these collectively as MC skills.…”

Cross-National Comparison between U.K. and U.S. Higher Education Students in Test Anxiety

“…A growing number of higher education students are reported to experience increasingly high levels of distress worldwide (Sharp & Theiler, 2018;Yusufov, Nicoloro-SantaBarbara, Grey, Moyer, & Lobel, 2019), including postsecondary students in the United Kingdom and the United States (American College Health Association, 2014; Royal College of Psychiatrists, 2003;Scanlon, Rowling, & Weber, 2007;Singleton, Bumpstead, O-Brien, Lee, & Meltzer, 2001;University of Leicester, 2002). Test anxiety, anxiety experienced in testing situations, has been identified as one of those areas of major distress for higher education students (Furr, Westegeld, McConnell, & Jenkins, 2001;Szafranski, Barrera, & Norton, 2012) and it is a concern, as it is reported to be related to poorer classroom test performance, lower grades, lower self-esteem, higher levels of neuroticism (von der Embse, Jester, Roy, & Post, 2018), and school dropout (Gerwing, Rash, Gerwing, Bramble, & Landine, 2015).…”

Çinli doktora Öğrencilerinde anksiyete ve anksiyete kaynakları

“…Ratanasiripong et al's (2015) study of 60 graduate students proved that biofeedback intervention was a cost-effective tool to help graduate students manage their anxiety and stress. This finding was further supported by a subsequent similar study (Yusufov et al, 2019) which examined the effectiveness of stress reduction interventions for undergraduate and graduate students. The study showed that interventions, like relaxation training, mindfulness-based stress reduction, and psychoeducation were (more) effective in reducing students' anxiety.…”

“…In addition, studies have shown that anxiety can be reduced by training or methods like humor and other interventions (Berk, 2000;Pan & Tang, 2004;Pelton, 2014;Ratanasiripong, Kaewboonchoo, Ratanasiripong, Hanklang, & Chumchai, 2015;Yusufov et al, 2019). For example, Berk's (2000) 6-year long study showed that humor reduced anxiety in both undergraduate and graduate students and improved their performance.…”