A quasiexperimental study of assessing the impact of stress management program on health science students at Kuwait University.

A stress management program for students at Kuwait University's Health Science Center reduced depression and stress. Participants were randomly assigned to a control or intervention group; the intervention group received a seminar covering breathing, imagery, meditation, cognitive behavioral therapy tips, and other strategies. Among 98 participants (56 intervention, 42 control), the intervention group showed significant improvement in stress and depression compared to the control group. Most participants found the program useful (82.1%) and would recommend it (89.3%). The program was feasible and culturally relevant, though larger trials are needed.

Study at a glance

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to study the effectiveness of a stress management program among students at the Health Science Center (HSC), Kuwait University. This study utilized a quasiexperimental research design in which the participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups: (1) the control group or (2) the experimental (intervention) group. The participants received a comprehensive educational seminar relevant to stress management (i.e., a presentation, written hand-outs and a structured home program). The program addressed nine topics pertaining to stress management strategies: breathing and imagery techniques; self-care routines; planning for success; meditation strategies; monitoring mechanisms for coping; seeking help for mental health, exercise and health; cognitive behavioral therapy tips (CBTs); and psychoeducation. The demographic data along with using two validated tools were collected through online google form; the validated tools were: (1) the Perceived Stress Scale and (2) the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21. Nonparametric tests, including Wilcoxon signed-rank tests and Kruskal‒Wallis tests, were used to investigate statistically significant differences between the median scores of the control and intervention groups (p values < 0.05). Ninety-eight participants participated in the stress management program (56 participants in the intervention group and 42 in the control group). There was a significant improvement in stress and depression in the intervention group compared with the control group (p values < 0.05). With respect to the value of the stress management program, additional online postintervention survey questions were filled out by the intervention group; 82.1% (n = 46) of the intervention group agreed that the stress management program was useful, and 89.3% (n = 50) agreed that they would recommend that other students utilize this program regularly in the future. In conclusion, in this study, we developed, implemented, and evaluated the effects of a stress management program among HSC students. The program improved HSC students' mental health while reducing their depression and stress levels. Most importantly, the study findings presented here were feasible and could provide important information that can be applied to future studies and used as invaluable mental health resources for students at different university programs. Thus, future studies with larger representative samples and true randomized controlled trials are needed to consolidate our findings concerning the value of such scientifically driven and culturally relevant stress management program.