Stress, anxiety and health status of participants volunteering for an Australian study for stress management

Expectations, stress and anxiety and health status

Caroline Smith, PhD, Heather Hancock PhD

Abstract

Mind body therapies are increasingly being used by individuals to self-manage their stress. The purpose of this study is to describe the health status and expectations of individuals participating in the study with the aim of increasing our understanding of the health status of people interested in using these mind body modalities. The cohort of 130 subjects was found to have a low health status as recorded by the SF-36 compared to SF36 norms for a comparable population in South Australia, and presented to the study with mild to moderate levels of stress and anxiety. Over 60 percent of the subjects used non-pharmacological strategies while 25 percent used medication to assist with the management of their symptoms. Participants expressed very high expectations for their involvement in this research, in particular for their peace of mind, self-esteem and self-control as well as controlling the ill-effects of stress and anxiety on their lives and work. This paper presents information for providers of these modalities on the health status of subjects who may participate in community classes and most particularly their anticipations for change and the possible consequences of this.

Background

Stress arises from an individual