A comparison of four stress reduction modalities on measures of stress among university students

Abstract

Purpose High levels of stress reported at college campuses has led to the need for stress management interventions. College students often do not know how to deal with the increase in stress during college which may lead to ineffective ways to manage stress, such as drugs, alcohol, and under the worst circumstance, suicide. Several universities have implemented stress relieving centers where students can participate in various modalities to relax and reduce symptoms of stress. The purpose of this paper is to compare four stress reduction modalities on the amount of physiologic and perceived stress (PS) reduction in a stress relief center. Design/methodology/approach Archival information of 5,526 students (2,759 female, 2,767 male) were analyzed. During their time at the relaxation center, these students would participate in one of four relaxation modalities (massage chair, chi machine, rejuvenation lounger, or sitting meditation). Upon entering and exiting the center, PS, systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and heart rate (HR) were measured. The dependent variables were compared from pre- to post-relaxation with paired tests. Gain scores were calculated for each dependent variable and compared between modalities with an ANOVA and post hoc independent t-tests. The α was set at=0.05 for statistical significance. Findings Results indicated that all four modalities showed an overall decrease in stress-related symptoms for both men and women (p<0.05). There was no statistical difference in dependent variable gain scores between the relaxation modalities (p>0.05) for men. There was no statistical difference in dependent variable gain scores between the relaxation modalities (p>0.05) for women except for SBP and DBP where the massage chair, chi machine, and sitting meditation all reduced SBP and DBP to a greater degree than the rejuvenation lounger (p<0.05). Originality/value The results of this study suggest that the use of these stress reduction modalities (massage chair, chi machine, rejuvenation lounger, or sitting meditation) is effective at transiently reducing physiologic and perceived measures of stress of college students. Universities should recognize the importance of stress relief centers in order to help students manage stress symptoms and effectively manage their daily stress levels.

Comprehensive Socio-emotional Assessment of MSU at Naawan constituents: Basis for a Gender-responsive Intervention Program

“…The data from the table supports the findings that high school students showed to have a better socioemotional level compared to other colleges. This is probably due to the increment of tasks and responsibilities as students enter college and into a higher level of education (Conley, 2013;Bennion, 2018) In this study, community or residence type did not reveal as a significant factor affecting the socioemotional condition of the respondents. 4 presents the academic performance of the students during the flexible blended learning modality or during the pandemic.…”

“…Of the 7-constituent grouping, the IDS students (both from JHS and SHS) consistently obtained higher mean scores compared to the other students from various colleges, which could be due to the fact that IDS high school students have better socioeconomic status and social support system compared to the college students. Also, as students enter college, more goals, tasks, and responsibilities are socially expected from them (Conley, 2013;Bennion, 2018). The socio-emotional aspects which were rated as highest by the respondents are 1) optimism (x=4.35, highly okay) and 2) social awareness (x=4.01, highly okay), implying that the respondents try to practice positive thinking amidst difficult situations with inner hope that everything will just be okay in time.…”

“…This difference is considered as statistically significant. High school students tend to fare better socio-emotionally most probably due to the fact their socioeconomic status is also better compared to college; and that according to research studies college education entails more adjustments, more academic responsibilities, and thus stress level increases in proportion to the increment of task expectations among college students (Conley et al, 2013;Bennion et al, 2018). Moreover, with a mean difference of 0.56 and p value of 0.009, there exists a significant difference in the socioemotional level between MSUN students (x=3.18) and members of the faculty and staff (x=3.71), which indicates that MSUN employees fared better in their socioemotional condition, most probably because of age maturity, perceived goals, and gained experiences in life (Carstensen, 2006).…”

Antecedents and Consequences of Work Stress Behavior

“…Individual-level strategies found in this literature study include relaxation methods (Bennion et al, 2018), coping strategies that focus on avoiding and decreasing sleep quality, physical exercise and family/friend support (Galanis et al, 2018), and strategies spiritual coping through mindfulness meditation/prayer (Walker, 2020).…”

Juggling to find balance: hearing the voices of undergraduate student nurses

“…There is global recognition of the increasing levels of stress, anxiety and mental health problems experienced by young people attending college and university (Othman et al 2019, Bennion et al 2018, Denovan and Macaskill 2017, with nursing students reporting higher levels of stress, anxiety and depression than other students (Edwards et al 2010, Gurkova andZelenikova 2018). Individuals view stress in terms of the demands it makes of them and their perceived ability to cope (Clancy and McVicar 2002), it can be viewed as a continuum with prolonged stress culminating in emotional suffering, burnout and mental distress (Waddell -Goad 2016, McVicar 2003.…”