Strategies for managing stress: treatment effects and preventive potential of social support and cognitive restructuring interventions

This study examines the treatment effects and preventive potential of Social Support and Cognitive Restructuring interventions for stress management. A group of 56 highly stressed college undergraduates was selected from a screened population of students who self-referred for difficulty in coping with the general stress of university life. The former subjects were randomly assigned to one of four groups: Social Support; Cognitive Restructuring; Social Support/Cognitive Restructuring (combined treatment); and No Treatment Control. Subjects in each of the three treatment groups attended a total of 5 treatment sessions conducted over a one-month period. Control subjects only completed the dependent measures at the designated intervals. A multiple measurement strategy was employed. Few statistically significant between-group differences were found at post-treatment. The preventive potential of the treatments was examined via a post-treatment Probe assessment, held a few days prior to the final examination period. Results again indicated no differences between the three treatments, and few differences between the treatment groups and Control. The data indicated that the preventive effect of the treatments had a wider impact than did the treatment effect. Difficulties in implementation and interpretation of the present study are discussed, as well as directions for future research in this area.