Definition of Stress Management
Stress management is a wide spectrum of techniques and psychotherapies aimed at controlling a person’s level of stress, especially chronic stress, usually for the purpose of and for the motive of improving everyday functioning. Stress produces numerous physical and mental symptoms which vary according to each individual’s situational factors. These can include a…Read more
Explore Stress Management research in the following databases:
PubMed Trip Cochrane*
*The Cochrane database requires users to enter the search term manually. Enter “stress management”
Research Spotlight
The databases often return hundreds of medical studies for a single wellness approach. This section summarizes a sampling of five studies – providing just a taste of the available research.
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For Stress Reduction, “Cyclic Sighing” Breathwork Beats Mindfulness Meditation
A 2023 study from Stanford University compared different stress reduction techniques (each carried out five minutes a day for a month): mindfulness meditation and three types of breathwork (cyclic sighing, with its greater focus on exhaling; box breathing, where inhaling and holding are done for an equal time; and one focusing on longer inhalation). They found that all three types of breathwork had a faster, more positive impact on stress and physiology than mindfulness meditation. Cyclic sighing proved the overall “winner,” with a significantly more positive impact on stress, mood, and resting breathing rate, providing results that lasted throughout the day.
Access this research on Stress ManagementLow to Moderate Levels of Stress Boost Brain Functioning
A new study in Psychiatry Research indicates that low to moderate levels of stress are good for your brain. “Good” stress levels proved psychologically beneficial, acting as a kind of inoculation against mental health disorders, such as depression and antisocial behavior. They also build resilience to cope with future stressful experiences, and positively impact neurocognitive abilities, from working memory to cognitive flexibility.
Access this research on Stress Management - Stress Ages the Immune System
A 2022 study from the University of Southern California indicates that stress–whether from traumatic events, work, or discrimination–rapidly speeds up aging in the immune system, which is associated with increased risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease and infection. The researchers measured social stress levels against immune cell counts. People with the highest stress scores had significantly lower percentages of fresh disease fighters and higher percentages of worn-out white blood cells. This unique study may explain disparities in age-related health and the unequal toll of COVID-19.
Access this research on Stress Management - Stress/Psychological Distress Radically Increases Risk of Death
A large, pooled meta-analysis of ten population-based studies by NHS Scotland (2012) aimed to quantify the link between stress levels and cause-specific mortality. Tracking 68,000+ initially cancer-free subjects over 8+ years, the findings were grim: moderate stress increased the risk of death by 40%. Highly symptomatic stress increased it by more than 90%, with deaths largely due to heart disease, cancer and accidents. Cancer death was only associated with higher level stress.
Access this research on Stress Management - Group Mindfulness Therapy on Par with Individual Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy in Reducing Stress and Depression
Because one-on-one cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is in short supply and expensive, researchers at Lund University, Sweden undertook a randomized controlled trial (2015, 215 patients) that compared the impact of eight weeks of regular CBT to mindfulness-based group therapy for patients with anxiety, stress and depression disorders. In both groups, anxiety and depression scores decreased significantly with no significant, statistical differences between the two groups.
Access this research on Stress Management - Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Leads to Brain Changes and Symptom Improvement for GAD subjects
The first trial to investigate the neural mechanisms that result from a program of mindfulness based-stress reduction (MBSR), undertaken by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (2013), found that an eight-week course of MBSR not only decreased symptoms for people with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). Through brain imaging, the researchers identified significant changes in the fronto-limbic areas of the brain (the amygdala), crucial for the regulation of emotion and “stress response.” Researchers argued these neural changes corresponded with the reported symptom improvements.
Access this research on Stress Management - Group Program Benefited Those with Extensive Symptoms of Work-Related Stress
An Aarhus University Hospital (Denmark) randomized trial revealed that a three-month group-based stress management program significantly affected perceived stress and positive reframing in people with extensive symptoms of work-related stress.
Access this research on Stress Management
Studies-in-Progress/Clinical Trials Underway
A clinical trial is any research study that assigns people to health-related interventions to evaluate the outcomes. “Interventions” include drugs, surgical procedures, devices, behavioral treatments, preventive care, etc.
- ClinicalTrials.gov: explore trials underway in the U.S.
- World Health Organization: explore trials happening across the globe. When you reach WHO’s search page, please type in “stress management.”
Access all studies currently available for Stress Management in these databases:
PubMed Trip Cochrane*
*The Cochrane database requires users to enter the search term manually. Enter “stress management”
