STRESS AND ANXIETY REDUCTION IN COLLEGE STUDENTS THROUGH BIOFEEDBACK.

PSYCHOLOGICAL stress; ANXIETY; PSYCHOLOGICAL adaptation; MENTAL health of college students; BIOFEEDBACK training

This study's aim was to examine biofeedback, specifically the Heart-Math® Inner Balance technology, as an effective tool for decreasing stress and anxiety while increasing perceived coping ability in college students. Seven students from a university campus were selected to use the device in an A-B-A-B experimental design for four or eight weeks. Four of the students completed the study. It was hypothesized that lower levels of anxiety and stress and higher levels of perceived coping ability would be recorded during biofeedback intervention periods compared to nonintervention periods. Results largely supported the prediction as participants experienced greater changes in stress, anxiety and coping levels during weeks with biofeedback. The major implication of these findings is that college students can employ this technology to cope with nonclinical levels of stress and anxiety, but the potential for cessation and practicality of the approach in research need to be addressed from the outset. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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