The Secondary Prevention in Uppsala Primary Health Care Project (SUPRIM) is a randomized controlled trial evaluating the effects of cognitive behavioral therapy on coronary heart disease patients. Various outcomes of psychological and physical health are recorded every six months approximately, over the course of two years after entry to the trial. In this thesis, relationships between the psychological outcome variables, Stress, Anxiety, Depression and Exhaustion, and five physical health biomarkers, are assessed using bivariate linear mixed models. Significant associations are found between one of the biomarkers and both Depression and Exhaustion, and also between one of the other biomarkers and Exhaustion.

There is nothing new about the utilization of the arts, generally speaking, as a method of facilitation. It is used not only in the context of the performing arts such as dance, drama and music, but particularly too in painting, sculpture, pottery, weaving, and a number of other art media and types. Yet all of these use a hands-on approach whereby it is expected of the participants to be active in the act of creation or performing. Of these, music stands out as an art form that can be used in a non-performance mode, and where a passive engagement with the completed work of art receives the focus. No such approach seems to have been suggested, described or developed for the visual arts. This study suggests and researches exactly that: the use of visual art works without involving a hands-on creative process, in a psycho-educational facilitative programme. This process is described as an isomorphic identification with the work of art, and the research design has been characterised by the relative novelty of the suggested approach towards intervention and stress facilitation outlined in this thesis. Although the term isomorphic identification is not of uncommon usage, it appears only very rarely in literature, and then in context with very recent work only to be found on the Internet. Undeniably, the occurrence of unhealthy stress levels in any population is on the increase. This research focuses on the way that stress impacts on the lives of young adults, particularly students, who share two common denominators; clearly identifiable unhealthy stress levels, and an academic background in which an art appreciation or an art history course was a part of their academic curriculum. The stated goal of this research is to design, develop and describe a method of stress management using the visual arts in a psycho-educational programme. The approach to this study is qualitative, with the research design being based on the single case study with an emphasis on the trustworthiness of research findings. The explorative nature of this research is underlined as being extremely important, with the role of the researcher as central to this type of qualitative research emphasised at every stage of the research strategy. As an important characteristic of the psycho-educational nature of this research, approaches to theory construction and the evaluative research cycle are followed by a discussion on strategies to ensure trustworthiness, including an analysis of and discourse on ethical measures. Obviously the major focus falls on the development, application, analysis, interpretation and evaluation of the programme for the facilitative use of the visual arts as an intervention procedure. Emphasis is put on the idea that art does in actual fact serve a number of purposes, and that the (visual) arts do not exist merely for the sake of existing. The argument is tendered that (visual) art can serve the function of personal homeostasis via a number of varieties of visual experiences according to which art could be experienced and interpreted. The idea is advanced that art works contain a message that is embedded in the medium of the artwork, and that interactive participation through graded exposure should be deemed a cathartic experience of value to the participant. This in turn focuses attention on the narrative discourse made possible through the interactive viewing mentioned, which in turn could be used by the participants as a journey of discovery, which is part and parcel of the facilitation suggested. The psycho-educational theoretical model for use within the visual arts is based on a hierarchical flow of events by way of a three-tiered four-phase approach that shares some characteristics with existing art historical models. As a programme, isomorphism as a strategy of facilitation fits well into a Post-modern paradigm, as it focuses on a holistic stress management programme designed to be of benefit for the participants. / Prof. C.P.H. Myburgh

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<p>New parents often experience significant stress as they take on new roles and responsibilities. Personal informatics practices have increasingly gained attention as they support various aspects of wellness of individuals by providing data-driven self-insights. While several PI systems have been proposed to support mental wellness of individuals not only by providing self-knowledge but also by helping individuals deal with negative emotions, few studies investigated how parenting stress can be managed through PI practices. In this paper, I set out to investigate how new parents make use of flexible self-tracking practices in the context of stress management. The findings of this study indicate that flexible self-tracking practices enable individuals to develop self-knowledge as well as to better communicate with their spouses through data. Based on the findings, I discuss how the self-tracking experiences for the mental wellness of parents can be better designed and provide some considerations for future research and design for parenting stress management.</p>

This study investigated the use of biofeedback as part of stress-management training program with head injured adults. The single cases examined were four males with head injuries of moderate severity who were in the post-acute stages of recovery. Treatment involved bi-weekly relaxation training, using EMG biofeedback in combination with deep breathing, autogenic training and/or imagery. Individual subject response to relaxation training was examined during treatment sessions, as was the frequency of stress-related symptomatology outside of sessions, and overall functional adaptation. While all subjects showed evidence of relaxation during treatment sessions, such factors as the nature of the functional disturbance and personal motivation appear to be related to the degree of carryover to the external environment.

The present study was conducted to explore the effectiveness of a worksite stress management program delivered via electronic mail (e-mail). One hundred and thirty-seven employed adults (36 males, 102 females; mean age = 29.46) from several diverse businesses consented to participate. The volunteers completed Cohen's Perceived Stress Scale, the Daily Hassles Scale, the Daily Work Hassles Scale, the TCU Self-Ratings Scales, and a demographic and opinion questionnaire. Individuals in the treatment group received e-mail messages twice weekly and had access to a website for three months about a variety of cognitive-behavioral techniques for managing worksite stress. A MANCOVA of post-intervention stress levels indicated that individuals who received the stress management messages perceived the same amount of stressors and hassles as individuals who did not receive the messages [F (5, 86) = 0.95, p = .45]. However, a MANCOVA of post-intervention perceived mood states revealed a tendency for individuals in the treatment group to be less depressed, anxious, and angry than individuals in the control group [F (3, 92) = 2.44, p = .07]. Demographic variables did not influence the outcome variables and pre- and post-test absenteeism and illness rates were similar for treatment and control groups. Coping skill usage was similar in amount and frequency, but differed in quality between the groups. The findings of the present study indicate that health promotion programs can be feasibly and effectively delivered via e-mail in the worksite.

The diploma thesis deals with psychosocial risks and stress in work. The theoretical part of the work is devoted to the definition and characteristics of psychosocial risks and stress. Furthermore, the legislative entrenchment of psychosocial risks in the Czech Republic and the European Union is described. The theoretical assumptions are concluded by the definition of psychosocial risk management. The methodological part is devoted to the quantitative survey, which is focused on the psychosocial risks of bank advisers of the company. Based on the results of the questionnaire survey, appropriate recommendations are made to reduce psychosocial risks in the company.

This thesis deals with the issue of mental hygiene of the construction engineering manager from various angles. The theoretical part defines and describes characteristics of management and mental hygiene. The practical part contains hypothesis related to mental hygiene. Based on the hypothesis, there was compiled and evaluated a questionnaire. That was the main basis for the evaluation of hypotheses. The result is a summary of findings about mental hygiene of the construction engineering managers.

Bakgrund: Sjuksköterskan har i sitt arbete ett stort ansvar för människors liv och hälsa. Arbetet kan dock ofta vara mycket stressigt, vilket kan leda till både stressrelaterad ohälsa hos sjuksköterskan och risk för misstag i arbetet. För att kunna utföra ett patientsäkert och ändamålsmässigt arbete, med en god vidhållen hälsa, är det viktigt med en god stresshanteringsförmåga. Mindfulness har i andra sammanhang visat sig förbättra förmågan att hantera stress. Syfte: Syftet med litteraturöversikten var att beskriva evidens för mindfulness som stressreduktion hos yrkesverksamma sjuksköterskor. Metod: Studien är en litteraturöversikt och består av 15 vetenskapliga artiklar med kvalitativ, kvantitativ samt mixad metod. Artikelsökningar är utförda i databaserna PsycINFO, PubMed och CINAHL. Resultat: Litteraturöversiktens resultat presenteras utifrån två huvudkategorier: Mindfulnessinterventioner och Effekter av mindfulness Slutsats: Mindfulnessinterventioner har i litteraturöversikten visat sig effektiva i att förbättra sjuksköterskornas förmåga att hantera stress och därmed minska stressen. Sjuksköterskors tillämpning av mindfulness kan således bidra till en ökad patientsäkerhet och mer ändamålsmässig omvårdad. / Background: The professional nurse has a great responsibility for people's lives and health. However, the work can often be very stressful, which can lead to both the stress-related ill health of the nurse and the risk of mistakes at work. In order to be able to perform a patient-safe and effective work, with good maintained health, it is important to have a good stress management ability. In other contexts, mindfulness has been shown to improve the ability to manage stress. Aim: The purpose of the literature review was to describe evidence of mindfulness as stress reduction strategy in professional nurses. Method: The study is a literature review and consists of 15 scientific articles with qualitative-, quantitative- and mixed methods. Article searches were performed in the databases CINAHL, PsycINFO, PubMed. Results: The literature review's results are presented on the basis of two main categories: Mindfulness interventions and Effects of mindfulness. Conclusion: In this literature review, mindfulness interventions have been shown to be effective in improving nurses' ability to manage stress and thus reduce stress. Nurses' application of mindfulness can thus contribute to increased patient safety and better care.

Stress är en stigande folksjukdom som kan drabba vem som helst, och inte minst accelerera till följd av rådande covid-19-pandemin. Med anledning av att individer spenderar så pass mycket tid på sitt jobb behöver även arbetsgivare hantera detta. I försök att hantera och förebygga stress kan organisationer och chefer använda sig utav stress management. Stress management omfattas av olika tillvägagångssätt, verktyg och modeller, i syfte att hjälpa arbetsgivare att påverka och hantera stress hos deras anställda. Följande studie ämnar således åt att undersöka hur chefer arbetar med (och eventuellt anpassar) stress management på arbetsplatsen efter de omställningar som coronakrisen orsakat. För att besvara studiens syfte genomfördes tio semistrukturerade intervjuer, baserat på ett strategiskt urval av respondenter. Resultatet av undersökningen visar på att chefer har anpassat sin stress management under pandemin, men på olika sätt. Fem nya stressdrivande faktorer och två nya stresshämmande faktorer har även uppmärksammats av respondenterna till följd av omställningarna.