Examining the Effectiveness of a Short-Term Solution-Focused Wellness Group Intervention on Perceived Stress and Wellness among College Students
Year: 2015
Type: article
Abstract: Heightened stress levels and compromised well-being are common among college students (Calicchia & Graham, 2006;Kausar, 2010).Current trends on college campuses include an increase in the number of students that are experiencing mental health challenges, and an increase in students seeking help (Watkins et al., 2011).Based on these trends, recommendations include implementing alternative strategies such as group therapy and self-help programs designed to reduce stress and improve wellness (Kitzrow, 2003;Ratanasiripong, Sverduk, Hayashino, & Prince, 2010).While evidence supports positive implications of health and wellness-based academic courses and other long-term models (Conley, Travers, & Bryant, 2013;Lockwood & Wohl, 2012), data is lacking pertaining to the effectiveness of short-term wellness-based interventions.Research indicates that chronic illness is largely driven by lifestyle behaviors, linking factors such as inactivity, diet, smoking, and sustained stress with an increased risk for major illness and death (Smith et al., 2013).This evidence has contributed to a paradigm shift toward a holistic understanding of health and mediating factors.According to Myers, Sweeney and Witmer (2000), wellness is "a way of life oriented toward optimal health and well-being, in which mind, body, and spirit are integrated by the individual to live life more fully within the human and natural community" (p.252).Critical to a short-term, wellness-based intervention is the integration of an evidence-based approach to facilitating change.Though the majority of wellness interventions examined in the research utilize a psycho-educational approach, v Vita
Author: James Beauchemin
Institution: The Ohio State University
Language: English
Topic: Student Stress and Coping
Subfield: Developmental and Educational Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2463558845