Academic and societal pressures result in U.S. high school students feeling stressed. Stress management and relaxation interventions may help students increase resiliency to stress and overall well‐being. The objectives of this study were to examine the feasibility (enrollment, participation and acceptability) and potential effectiveness (changes in perceived stress, anxiety, self‐esteem, health‐promoting behaviors, and locus of control) of a relaxation response (RR)‐based curriculum integrated into the school day for high school students. The curriculum included didactic instruction, relaxation exercises, positive psychology, and cognitive restructuring. The intervention group showed significantly greater improvements in levels of perceived stress, state anxiety, and health‐promoting behaviors when compared to the wait list control group. The intervention appeared most useful for girls in the intervention group. The results suggest that several modifications may increase the feasibility of using this potentially effective intervention in high schools.

No abstract

Mind-body programs can improve mental health and well-being in military populations. This pilot study of a virtual synchronous resilience intervention was conducted from 2018 to 2020 among 26 military personnel. Participants completed self-report psychosocial questionnaires before and after the 6-week program, including measures of posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, stress, resilience, and mindfulness. The intervention included eliciting the relaxation response, adaptive coping strategies, and healthy behaviors. Pre-post changes were calculated using paired t tests and effect sizes ( d ). Significant improvements were found for depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-8), stress reactivity (Measure of Current Status-Abbreviated Scale), and mindfulness (Cognitive Affective Mindfulness Scale-Revised). A 6-week resilience intervention can help military personnel improve mental health, coping, and stress management. [ Psychiatr Ann . 2022;52(5):186–190.]