Improving stress mindset through education and imagery

Sarah Williams*, Annie Ginty

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

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Abstract

Background
Research suggests interventions such as education and imagery can elicit a greater stress-is-enhancing mindset. The present study examined the individual and combined effect of stress-is-enhancing education and/or imagery delivered virtually in altering stress mindset. Three 3-minute online video interventions: (1) education, (2) imagery, (3) education with imagery were compared to each other and a control comparison.

Design and Methods
Participants (N = 164; 103 = female; Mage = 20.03, SD = 1.39 years) completed the Stress Mindset Measure (SMM) before being randomly assigned to a group to watch a three-minute video and completing the SMM again.

Results
The 2-time × 4-group ANOVA showed a significant time effect, F(1, 158) = 50.45, p < .001, ηp2 = .242, no group effect, F(3, 158) = 0.89, p = .449, ηp2 = .017, and a significant time × group interaction, F(3, 158) = 4.48, p = .005, ηp2 = .078. All three experimental groups reported greater stress-is-enhancing mindset post-intervention compared to pre-intervention. At post-intervention the education with imagery group had a significantly more stress-is-enhancing mindset compared to the control group.

Conclusions
Results suggest that online stress mindset videos may be effective with a combined stress education and imagery intervention being most effective.
Original languageEnglish
Number of pages9
JournalAnxiety, Stress and Coping
Early online date12 Nov 2023
DOIs
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 12 Nov 2023

Keywords

  • coping
  • imagery
  • online interventions
  • resilience
  • stress optimization

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