Understanding and Promoting Stress Management Practices Among College Students Through an Integrated Health Behavior Model

College Students' Day-to-Day Maladaptive Drinking Responses to Stress Severity and Stressor-Related Guilt and Anger

BACKGROUND

Stress is a common part of college students' daily lives that may influence their physical activity (PA) and alcohol use. Understanding features of daily stress processes that predict health behaviors could help identify targets for just-in-time interventions.

PURPOSE

This study used intensive longitudinal data to examine whether prior day stress processes predict current day PA or alcohol use.

METHODS

Participants (N=58, Mage=20.5, 59% women, 70% White) were 18-to-25-year-old students who engaged in binge drinking at least twice monthly and used cannabis or tobacco in the past year. They wore activity (activPAL4) and alcohol (Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitor) monitors for 11 days to assess daily PA (e.g., step counts) and alcohol use (e.g., drinking day), and completed daily surveys about yesterday's stress, including number of stressors (i.e., frequency), stressor intensity (i.e., severity), and frequency of affective states (e.g., guilt). Multilevel models examined prior day stress predicting current day PA or alcohol use.

RESULTS

Participants had higher odds of current day drinking (odds ratio=1.21) and greater area under the curve (B=0.08) when they experienced greater than usual stress severity the prior day. Participants had higher current day peak transdermal alcohol concentration (B=0.12) and area under the curve (B=0.11) when they more frequently experienced guilt due to stressors the prior day.

CONCLUSIONS

College students' unhealthy response of increasing alcohol use due to stress could adversely impact health outcomes. There is a critical need for interventions addressing students' ability to effectively manage and respond to the stress-inducing, daily demands of student life.

The relaxation zone: Initial analysis of stress management services for university students

Objective: We evaluated the Relaxation Zone (RZ), a room with "relaxation stations" designed to reduce stress in college students. Participants: Participants (N = 994) were enrolled during the 2019 calendar year. Most participants were female (62.8%), freshmen (59.3%), and African American (44.9%). Methods: Students visiting the RZ completed a brief pretest and posttest that measured self-reported stress. Results: Paired sample t-tests across class groups (e.g., freshman, sophomore) revealed a significant reduction in stress from pretest (Mpooled = 6.0) to posttest (Mpooled = 4.5), with medium to large effect sizes (Cohen's d ranging from 0.53 to 0.88) during their first visit. For students having at least two visits (N = 348), an exploratory dose-response analysis demonstrated that an optimal dose of self-guided relaxation ranged from two to eight visits. Conclusions: These findings provide initial evidence that programs like the RZ can reduce student stress within a few visits.

Physical Activity, Stress, and Physically Active Stress Management Behaviors Among University Students With Overweight/Obesity

Student physical activity is associated with lower stress. Research gaps remain regarding the types of stress management behaviors students use and how these behaviors are associated with students' activity levels. This study examined associations between physical activity and stress management behaviors among students (18-35 years). Students with overweight/obesity (n = 405) attending universities in 2 urban locations enrolled in a randomized controlled trial to promote healthy weight and completed the following baseline measurements: perceived stress, stress management behaviors, accelerometer-measured physical activity, and demographic characteristics. Perceived stress did not differ by physical activity status or race. A greater proportion of students meeting moderate-to-vigorous physical activity guidelines used physically active stress management behaviors compared to those not meeting guidelines (74% vs 56%; P = .006), and students using physically active stress management had lower stress scores (13.1 vs 15.5; P = .003). Among Black and White students only (n = 306), a greater proportion of White students used physically active stress management behaviors compared to Black students (77% vs 62%, P = .013). Results indicate differences in stress management behaviors by student activity level and race. During times of high stress, colleges/universities might support students by promoting stress management and physical activity in tandem, and tailoring messages to student activity levels and demographic characteristics.

A Fourth Trimester Action Plan for Wellness

Expectant mothers/couples often report planning for early parenting is overwhelming. Lack of anticipatory planning makes evident the need for providers, like childbirth educators, to assist expectant parents in minimizing or eliminating the problems associated with the transition to the fourth trimester, early parenthood. Planning for birth should extend beyond labor and birth to include the weeks following. The author's purpose is to explore the problems associated with the fourth trimester, to review the current health-related literature, and to propose an integrated behavioral action plan as an effective strategy. Self-efficacy constructs support a wellness plan approach to enable expectant mothers/couples to be proactive in preparing for their physical and emotional needs after the arrival of their newborn.