The effects of school‐based interventions on physiological stress in adolescents: A meta‐analysis

Abstract

Chronic stress is associated with dysregulations in the physiological stress system, resulting in diverse negative developmental outcomes. Since adolescence is a period characterized by increased stress‐sensitivity, and schools are an important environment for the developing adolescent, school‐based interventions promoting psychosocial functioning are of particular interest to prevent adverse outcomes. The present study therefore aimed to investigate the effectiveness of such interventions on hypothalamic pituitary adrenal‐axis (i.e., cortisol) and cardiovascular (i.e., blood pressure [BP] and heart rate [HR]/heart rate variability [HRV]) parameters of stress in adolescents, and examined moderators of effectiveness. The search resulted in the inclusion of k = 9 studies for cortisol, k = 16 studies for BP, and k = 20 studies for HR/HRV. The results indicated a significant small overall effect on reducing BP, but no significant effect for HR/HRV. For cortisol, large methodological variation in the few primary studies did not allow for quantitative analyses, but a qualitative review demonstrated inconsistent results. For BP and HR/HRV, larger effects were observed for intervention programs with a mindfulness and/or meditation component, for interventions without a cognitive‐behavioural component and for interventions with a higher intensity. Providing adolescents with techniques to improve indicators of physiological stress may prevent emerging mental health problems.

Adolescent stress and mental health

“…Indeed, previous research in adolescents demonstrated that having mental health problems before the pandemic predicted higher levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms during the pandemic (Hafstad et al, 2021). Moreover, previous findings of the current study's sample indicated that adolescents with specific prepandemic vulnerabilities (i.e., higher stress, maladaptive coping, and internalizing problems) experienced more COVID-19-related concerns during the pandemic (van Loon et al, 2021).…”

“…Additionally, previous findings in this sample also highlighted that adolescents with specific prepandemic vulnerabilities (i.e., higher stress, maladaptive coping, or internalizing problems) were at increased risk of experiencing more problems (i.e., COVID-19-related concerns) during the pandemic (van Loon et al, 2021). Yet, in the present study we observed a stable course of stress and internalizing problems during the pandemic, while more than half of these adolescents reported medium to high COVID-19-related concerns during the pandemic (van Loon et al, 2021). It appears that some adolescents experience elevated stress levels during the pandemic, but mostly related to the pandemic (i.e., not general mental health problems).…”

Embentukan Kader Remaja Sehat Jiwa Di SMPN Guna Pencegahan Masalah Kesehatan Jiwa Pada Remaja

“…Stres kronis merupakan masalah kesehatan mental di kalangan remaja jika tidak teregulasi berhubungan dengan masalah kesehatan jiwa. Penting untuk mengatasi tingkat stres yang tinggi pada remaja dan memberikan remaja intervensi untuk mengatasi stres secara memadai (van Loon et al, 2022). Memberikan remaja teknik-teknik untuk mengurangi stres fisiologis melalui program intervensi berbasis sekolah dapat mencegah munculnya masalah kesehatan jiwa yang lebih berat (Catani et al, 2023).…”

Implementation and experimental evaluation of school-based intervention programs promoting adolescent mental health: Lessons learned

“…As adolescents spend a substantial part of their time at school (Eccles & Roeser, 2011), the school environment seems particularly suitable to reach and support adolescents with emerging mental health problems. In the last decades, school-based intervention programs have become increasingly popular, and meta-analytic reviews have demonstrated that school-based intervention programs-particularly targeted programs aimed at adolescents in need-have the potential to improve adolescent mental health, including physiological and psychological stress, social and emotional skills, internalizing problems, and behavior problems (Durlak et al, 2011;Feiss et al, 2019;van Loon et al, 2020van Loon et al, , 2022Werner-Seidler et al, 2017).…”