The effects of school-based interventions on physiological stress in adolescents: A meta-analysis

The effects of school-based interventions on physiological stress in adolescents: A meta-analysis

Authors
Loon, A. W. G. Creemers, H. E. Okorn, A. Vogelaar, S. Miers, A. C. Saab, N. Westenberg, P. M. Asscher, J. J.
Year
2021
Journal
Stress and Health
Volume
Pages
23
Chronic stress is associated with dysregulations in the physiological stress system, resulting in diverse negative developmental outcomes. Since adolescence is a period characterized by increased stress-sensitivity, and schools are an important environment for the developing adolescent, school-based interventions promoting psychosocial functioning are of particular interest to prevent adverse outcomes. The present study therefore aimed to investigate the effectiveness of such interventions on hypothalamic pituitary adrenal-axis (i.e., cortisol) and cardiovascular (i.e., blood pressure [BP] and heart rate [HR]/heart rate variability [HRV]) parameters of stress in adolescents, and examined moderators of effectiveness. The search resulted in the inclusion of k = 9 studies for cortisol, k = 16 studies for BP, and k = 20 studies for HR/HRV. The results indicated a significant small overall effect on reducing BP, but no significant effect for HR/HRV. For cortisol, large methodological variation in the few primary studies did not allow for quantitative analyses, but a qualitative review demonstrated inconsistent results. For BP and HR/HRV, larger effects were observed for intervention programs with a mindfulness and/or meditation component, for interventions without a cognitive-behavioural component and for interventions with a higher intensity. Providing adolescents with techniques to improve indicators of physiological stress may prevent emerging mental health problems.

Oversett med Google Translate
-
Type of intervention

Preventive- and Promotive Health Interventions

Topic

Development and Life Coping Skills

Well-being

Stress Management and Self-regulation

Intervention

Psychological Treatments

Mindfulness

The organization of interventions

School/Preschoolbased Interventions

Public Health Interventions

Physical Activity

Age group

Adolescents (13-18 years)

More information
Looking for more information on this topic? Click on the links below to search PsykTestBarn and Håndboka