Stress Management in College Students

NCT ID: NCT05392621

Last Updated: 2025-07-16

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

46 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2022-06-02

Study Completion Date

2023-03-31

Brief Summary

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Stress is defined as a response to one's evaluation of physical, emotional, or environmental challenges or demands. While the experience of stress is common, chronic exposure to high levels of stress is associated with a host of negative interrelated psychological, physiological, and behavioral outcomes. Mental health problems such as anxiety and depression have a high correlation with stress. In addition, chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease are also thought to be related to stress. For instance, research shows that stress increases blood lipids by changing cholesterol levels eventually leading to arterial thrombosis and stroke.

While stress affects individuals across their lifespan, college students face a unique combination of academic and life challenges that exacerbate their experience of stress, making them highly susceptible to high levels of stress. Additionally, technological advances such as social media can be a source of chronic stress for many. As exposure to high levels of persistent stress is likely to predispose young adults to a lifetime of poor health and unhealthy behaviors, this is especially imperative in finding low impact and attainable methods of stress management for this population.

Although a significant body of literature has addressed stress reduction techniques, most studies to date focus on intervention effects that accumulate over months of exposure, with many stress management programs lasting at minimum of 8 weeks. Previous research has found that interventions employing yoga, progressive muscle relaxation (PMR), and deep breathing exercise (DBE) significantly reduce stress levels. The relationship between yoga and stress reduction has been especially consistent across studies. It has been suggested that mindfulness may be the active agent in such programs. Intriguingly, Fountain et al., (2019) found a single 20-minute yoga session significantly decreased stress levels in college students. This raises the question of whether yoga, PMR, and/or DBE require repeated exposure to provide helpful stress-reducing effects, or whether benefits may be obtained in a single session. If so, college students who are unable to commit to an 8-week program will still benefit tremendously from a toolbox of stress reduction techniques, especially during high-stress periods (e.g., finals).

The purpose of this study is to examine whether an acute bout of yoga, PMR, and DBE, delivered alone and in combination, are feasible and acceptable components in a single-session stress-reduction program for college students, and to explore initial effects on stress. We will use an efficient factorial design to gather data on the feasibility and acceptability of each of these three components, and to explore the initial main effects on stress.

Detailed Description

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Conditions

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Stress

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

FACTORIAL

This is a 2x2x2 randomized factorial pilot trial. Participants will be randomized to receive one of 8 possible combinations of yoga (yes/no), progressive muscle relaxation (yes/no), or deep breathing (yes/no).
Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

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Yoga+Progressive Muscle Relaxation+Deep Breathing

Participants engage in a single session combining yoga, progressive muscle relaxation, and deep breathing.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Yoga

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

A single Hatha yoga session designed to support stress management.

Deep Breathing

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

A single deep breathing exercise session designed to elicit relaxation and to assist in stress management.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

A single session of progressive muscle relaxation designed to elicit relaxation.

Yoga+Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Participants engage in a single session combining yoga and progressive muscle relaxation

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Yoga

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

A single Hatha yoga session designed to support stress management.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

A single session of progressive muscle relaxation designed to elicit relaxation.

Yoga+Deep Breathing

Participants engage in a single session combining yoga and deep breathing.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Yoga

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

A single Hatha yoga session designed to support stress management.

Deep Breathing

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

A single deep breathing exercise session designed to elicit relaxation and to assist in stress management.

Yoga

Participants engage in a single session of yoga.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Yoga

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

A single Hatha yoga session designed to support stress management.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation+Deep Breathing

Participants engage in a single session combining progressive muscle relaxation and deep breathing.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Deep Breathing

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

A single deep breathing exercise session designed to elicit relaxation and to assist in stress management.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

A single session of progressive muscle relaxation designed to elicit relaxation.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Participants engage in a single session of progressive muscle relaxation.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

A single session of progressive muscle relaxation designed to elicit relaxation.

Deep Breathing

Participants engage in a single session of deep breathing.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Deep Breathing

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

A single deep breathing exercise session designed to elicit relaxation and to assist in stress management.

Quiet sitting

Participants engage in a low-touch relaxation condition.

Group Type SHAM_COMPARATOR

Quiet sitting

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

A single session of quiet sitting.

Interventions

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Yoga

A single Hatha yoga session designed to support stress management.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Deep Breathing

A single deep breathing exercise session designed to elicit relaxation and to assist in stress management.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Progressive Muscle Relaxation

A single session of progressive muscle relaxation designed to elicit relaxation.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Quiet sitting

A single session of quiet sitting.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Undergraduate college students
* Aged 18 -24 years
* Capable of engaging in physical activity as assessed via the physical activity readiness questionnaire (PAR-Q+)
* Willing to provide consent and attend a single stress intervention session lasting up to 60 minutes
* Agree to all study procedures and assessments

Exclusion Criteria

* Outside of 18-24 years of age
* Unable to safely engage in physical activity
* Not an undergraduate student at Wake Forest University
* Unwilling to complete study procedures
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

24 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sponsors

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Wake Forest University

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Jason Fanning

Assistant Professor

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Locations

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Wake Forest University

Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States

Site Status

Countries

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United States

Other Identifiers

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IRB00024664

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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