Improving stress mindset through education and imagery.

Abstract

Background: Research suggests interventions such as education and imagery can elicit a greater stress-is-enhancing mindset. The present study examined the individual and combined effect of stress-is-enhancing education and/or imagery delivered virtually in altering stress mindset. Three 3-minute online video interventions: (1) education, (2) imagery, (3) education with imagery were compared to each other and a control comparison.

Design and methods: Participants (N = 164; 103 = female; M_age = 20.03, SD = 1.39 years) completed the Stress Mindset Measure (SMM) before being randomly assigned to a group to watch a three-minute video and completing the SMM again.

Results: The 2-time × 4-group ANOVA showed a significant time effect, F(1, 158) = 50.45, p < .001, η_p² = .242, no group effect, F(3, 158) = 0.89, p = .449, η_p² = .017, and a significant time × group interaction, F(3, 158) = 4.48, p = .005, η_p²= .078. All three experimental groups reported greater stress-is-enhancing mindset post-intervention compared to pre-intervention. At post-intervention the education with imagery group had a significantly more stress-is-enhancing mindset compared to the control group.

Conclusions: Results suggest that online stress mindset videos may be effective with a combined stress education and imagery intervention being most effective.