Supervisors info:
Αγγελική-Μαρία Παλαιολόγου, Επίκ. Καθηγήτρια, Τμήμα Φιλοσοφίας-Παιδαγωγικής-Ψυχολογίας (Τομέας Ψυχολογίας), Πανεπιστήμιο Ιωαννίνων
Γεώργιος Χρούσος, Καθηγητής, Ιατρική, ΕΚΠΑ
Χριστίνα Δαρβίρη,Καθηγήτρια, Ιατρική, ΕΚΠΑ
Summary:
Background: Stress can significantly impair the health of the freshmen, who often face a combination of stressors unique to this life transition and developmental phase. First-grade university students manifest, inter alia, stress, anxiety, depression, cognitive impairment, and fatigue. These factors affect their adjustment to University and their health profile as well as the adoption of maladaptive coping strategies. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the effect of two different intervention methods: Pythagorean Self-Awareness Intervention and Stress Management Techniques Intervention on this population. Methods: This was a parallel randomized controlled trial in first grade university students (N = 60) who were randomized to Pythagorean Self-Awareness Intervention (PSAI) and Stress Management Techniques Intervention group (PSAI). PSAI and SMTI consisted of 8 weekly sessions of dietary and physical exercise counseling, cognitive training and stress management. Self-reported questionnaires were used for a variety of variables such as: (perceived) stress, major life events, depression, anxiety, healthy lifestyle, spirituality, satisfaction, self-esteem, self-efficacy, attitudes towards death, anger, health locus of control, close relationships, health hardiness, emotional intelligence, guilt and shame, positive and negative affect, sleep disorders, sense of coherence, fatigue, memory. Data were collected by pre- and post-intervention. Results: Participants were first-year students, mostly women, unmarried, without children, of tertiary education. Statistical analyses revealed that the intervention, on the one hand, significantly increased: healthy lifestyle, self esteem, self efficacy, internal locus of control, existential and spiritual well being, emotion intelligence, positive affect, sense of coherence, health hardiness, cognitive indices and on the other hand decreased: perceived stress, external locus of control and powerful others, anxiety and depression levels, negative affect, anxiety and avoidance in close relationships, sleep disorders, fatigue (physical, mental, cognitive), as well as stress-related physical and psychological symptoms, and the cognitive speed. The PSAI was connected significantly with higher: religious well-being, change of attitudes towards “Death”, internal locus of control, comprehensibility and manageability, pride affect, words and symbols recalling, and lower: negative affect, anger, cognitive speed, and cognitive fatigue. The SMTI was connected significantly with improvement in health indices and general quality of life. Conclusions: Participation in PSAI was strongly associated with enhancement of self-management abilities, and Participation in SMTI was connected with a general improvement in lifestyle. We aspire that both methods can be introduced in academic settings as a multifaceted, meta-cognitive process of stress management and self-empowerment.
