The efficacy of a stress mindset intervention on psychosocial health and daily stress processes in college students.

Abstract

Introduction: Although stress is commonly characterized as harmful, interventions promoting adaptive stress mindsets have led to improved physiological, psychological, and behavioral outcomes. Interventions including rehearsal of stress mindset strategies may improve health and functioning.

Methods: We tested the efficacy of an intervention including an in-person stress mindset seminar and daily rehearsal on psychosocial outcomes and daily stress-related processes over 21 days. Eighty-eight first-year college students were randomized to a stress-is-enhancing condition (SEC) or non-intervention-control (NIC). The SEC attended an interactive seminar providing education about stress physiology and strategies to adopt a more positive stress mindset. Daily dairies recorded stress processes (perceived stress, stress mindset, affect, and daily stressor appraisals) with writing prompts encouraging daily rehearsal of seminar strategies for the SEC.

Results: The intervention produced more adaptive stress mindsets, improved depression and anxiety symptoms, as well as improved daily challenge appraisals and greater perceived ability to cope with stressors, relative to control. No effect was found on daily affect, perceived daily stress, or perceptions of daily stressors as threatening or controllable.

Discussion: These findings further support the efficacy of stress mindset interventions on psychosocial health and adaptive cognitive responses to daily stress and suggest that rehearsal may help maintain effects.